Anti-infective properties of vitamin A.

1. Six months after feeding a vitamin A free diet the liver content of mice was markedly reduced but not yet completely exhausted. These vitamin A deprived mice were either immunized with sheep erythrocytes or infected with Listeria monocytogenes.

[Influence of maternal antibodies on the primary and secondary immunoresponse of the juvenile organism (author's transl)].

The immunization of mice with sheep erythrocytes served as model for the materno-fetal transfer of specific antibodies. It could be shown that passively transferred antibodies are able to induce a long-lasting suppression of the primary and secondary immuno-response in the offspring. This holds true both for active immunization before pregnancy and for passive immunization shortly before term.

Immunoadjuvant effects of the synthetic muramyl-dipeptide (MDP) N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine.

The adjuvant activity of the synthetic muramyl-dipeptide (MDP) N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine upon immunization of mice with BSA or SRBC was studied. MDP was found to significantly increase BSA-antibody formation and to favour the induction of anaphylactic reactions to BSA. In contrast, under the conditions employed, MDP only weakly stimulated the immune response to SRBC.

[Concentration of specific antibodies in commercially avaialable immunoglobulins (author's transl)].

Not significant differences in the composition or concentration of specific antibodies against microbial antigens could be measured in five commercially available human immunoglobulin preparations for intravenous use. Prediction of prophylactic or therapeutic efficiency of such preparations according to their antibody content seems to be only partially possible. Human immunoglobulins for intravenous use should be free from irregular antibodies against erythrocyte antigens of the Rh-systems, as found in one of the specimens tested.