Studies on the Specific Mechanism of Serum Sickness

[摘要] 1. 1. The blood serum of individuals convalescing from serum sickness following treatment with horse serum is designated as S.S.C.S. or Serum Sickness Convalescent Serum.2. 2. This S.S.C.S. possesses the property of inducing a reaction in horse-serum-treated patients which is milder than but otherwise clinically similar to serum sickness. By injecting 2–10 ml of the S.S.C.S. intravenously into 62 patients treated with horse serum, 65 per cent developed this reaction.3. 3. We have named this reaction “passive serum sickness,” and believe it more appropriate than “inverse serum sickness” offered by Voss.4. 4. Evidence has been presented which indicates that passive serum sickness is a specific reaction of a horse-serum-treated patient to S.S.C.S. and is similar to serum sickness.5. 5. An episode of passive serum sickness may modify the subsequent course of the horse-serum-treated patient. It may hasten the onset of serum sickness, it may shorten the course of the serum sickness, and may even prevent its occurrence. This did not occur sufficiently often in our cases to warrant recommending its routine use as prophylaxis against serum sickness. Further study may alter this opinion.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）