Destruction of Red Blood Cells. VII. Apparent Autosensitization to Dog Red Blood Cells.

Summary and Conclusions Several attempts were made to sensitize 4 dogs to their own red blood cells. Three dogs showed no definite evidence of autosensitization. Although 2 of these 3 dogs showed occasional marked fluctuation in mechanical fragility unaccompanied by other changes during these studies this was considered to be due to technical difficulties. However, for a short period in one dog, 25 d'ays after the injection of a modified Freund antigen, there was agglutination of washed red blood cells when they were suspended in anti-dog serum rabbit serum. During this period of apparent autosensitization there was no anemia, reticuloeytosis or jaundice. The red blood cells showed no alteration in osmotic or mechanical fragility. There was no fall in complement titer. Cold and warm agglutinins did not appear. There was no evidence of a serum complement-fixing antibody for the dog's own red blood cells. Such apparent autosensitization supports the explanation that in certain instances of acquired hemolytic anemia in man serum autoagglutinins may be formed in response to an antigen in red blood cells.