[Experimental study of the general serology of immunopathological processes]

Serological criteria for detection of the circulating immune complexes and for a possible evaluation of a comparative expression of the corresponding pathological process were investigated. Foreign serum was repeatedly administered to rabbits against the background [corrected] of the circulating anyibodies. A study was made of the three serological indices (changes in the complement titre, and increase in the anticomplementary properties of the sera, the apperance in the blood and titres of immunoconglutinin) and the data of biological activity of the sera (an increase of total toxicity and the capacity to induce local reaction in the intradermal test on guinea pigs and adrenalectomized albino mice). It was shown that the serological indices under study, together and in combination with the data on biological activity of the sera could serve as a sufficiently reliable criterion for evaluation of the circulating immune complexes: in using all the 5 serum indices the positive ones, even by one of them only constituted 96%. At the same time some of the indices (an increase in the anticomplementary capacity of the sera, the appearance of immunoconglutinin in the blood, an increase of total serum toxicity) could apparently be used for comparative assessment of the extent of the pathological process, since they occurred with a lower intensity of the immune complex formation (reduction of the dose of the antigen administered.