ANTIBODIES TO QUAIL ERYTHROCYTES IN QUAIL-CHICKEN SPINAL-CORD CHIMERAS

Quail-chicken spinal cord chimeras are a model for temporary acceptanc e followed by rejection of xenografts and also for demyelinating lesio ns of the central nervous system. The antiglobulin test with quail ery throcytes was employed to detect antibodies in sera of quail-chicken s pinal cord chimeras. Sera of all 46 chimeras tested gave positive resu lts. In virtually all instances, antibodies were detected within 10 we eks after hatching and they persisted for all the observation time up to 8 months. The antibodies detected in these tests were directed agai nst species antigens of the quail. They were apparently identical with xenoantibodies described in a previous study, which were detected by indirect immunofluorescence with quail tissue sections; on the other h and, mixed agglutination tests with quail embryonal cell monolayers em ployed previously had detected a broader spectrum of antibodies than d id the antiglobulin tests with quail erythrocytes. The antiglobulin te st with quail erythrocytes seems the most cost-efficient and convenien t test to monitor xenoantibody formation in this animal model.