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. 1965 Aug 1;122(2):207–235. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.2.207

STUDIES ON TUBERCULIN FEVER

III. MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE RELEASE OF ENDOGENOUS PYROGEN IN VITRO

Elisha Atkins 1, Cornelis Heijn Jr 1
PMCID: PMC2138054  PMID: 14316942

Abstract

In a search for the source of the circulating endogenous pyrogen (EP) that mediates tuberculin-induced fever, tuberculin was incubated in vitro with various tissues of rabbits sensitized by intravenous infection with BCG. Evidence was obtained that tuberculin specifically stimulates cells in the blood of sensitized rabbits to generate pyrogen in vitro, whereas both lymph node and spleen cells from the same donors were inactive. Since normal blood cells, incubated in plasma of sensitized donors, were similarly activated, it is postulated that circulating antibodies play a role in sensitizing cells (presumably granulocytes) to release pyrogen on contact with tuberculin) both in vitro and in vivo. Release of endogenous pyrogen in vitro may be a sensitive means of detecting immunologic reactions between antigen and specifically sensitized blood cells-in other allergic states accompanied by fever.

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Selected References

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