Experimentally produced ‘Polyagglutinability’ (T-Transformation of Erythrocytes in vivo) in Guinea Pigs infected with Pneumococci

Abstract

It has been known for many years that treatment of erythrocyte suspensions with certain bacterial culture filtrates (for example, cholera vibrio) alters the erythrocytes so that they become agglutinable by practically all human sera. This phenomenon of ‘panagglutinability’ has been thoroughly discussed by Friedenreich¹. It appears to be due to enzymic action on the cell surface, whereby a new antigen or receptor (designated T) is revealed, which reacts with a corresponding, very widespread antibody (T-antibody). Chu² showed that certain pathogenic bacteria, including all types of pneumococcus, could bring about this change. Occasional patients are encountered whose erythrocytes show a phenomenon of polyagglutinability, which appears to be closely related to the appearance of T-antigen. It was therefore of interest to try to produce this state experimentally in animals by means of infection with bacteria that are known to transform erythrocytes in vitro.