LYMPHOCYTE-RESPONSES TO RAGWEED ANTIGENS FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES

[摘要] Previous studies from this laboratory have shown a lack of correlation between the degree of atopic ragweed sensitivity and the magnitude of the in vitro lymphocyte DNA synthetic response to ragweed antigens in a variety of subjects, including normal, newborn, agammaglobulinemic and atopic individuals. Since other investigators have reported finding a positive correlation between these 2 parameters, some of the possible reasons for the discrepant results were examined. The ragweed antigen E preparation used in the studies might have been contaminated by some unrecognized mitogenic substance. To investigate the possible presence of a non-antigen E contaminant accounting for the findings, the DNA synthetic responses of lymphocytes from 2 atopic, highly ragweed-sensitive adult donors were compared with those of lymphocytes from 2 nonatopic normal adult donors when stimulated with 3 different purified ragweed antigen E preparations and with crude ragweed extract.