Immediate hypersensitivity to Metastrongylus spp. infection in the pig. I. The passive transfer of skin sensitivity to uninfected recipients.

Homocytotropic antibody has been shown to occur in pigs experimentally infected with lungworms, Metastrongylus spp. This antibody is heat labile, inactivated by 2-mercaptoethanol and persists at passively sensitized skin sites for up to 14 days. On electrophoresis in a polyvinyl copolymer at pH 8.6 homocytotropic antibody was recovered in the fast γ-slow β area. Gel filtration of antiserum indicated that the molecular size of homocytotropic antibody was intermediate between 19S and 7S, and on DEAE cellulose the antibody was eluted with the bulk of IgA. Attempts to separate homocytotropic antibody from IgA by further fractionation were only partially successful. The homocytotropic activity was removed from pig serum by absorption with antisera directed against either porcine IgA or human IgE.