PROPERTIES OF BLOOD AND IMMUNE REACTIONS UNDER CONDITIONS OF COLD AND ALTITUDE STRESS
Abstract
The available evidence justifies the concept of an alteration in the immune response under environmental stress. Whether or not these changes are correlated to a decrease in resistance to infection is not clear. Cold exposure, on the one hand, seems to support the idea that there may be a decrease in resistance as evidenced by the lower titers of circulating antibody and the increase in the rate of antibody decay. Antibody levels in the altitude exposed or acclimatized animal, on the other hand, are higher than in sea level controls. It may be that the expression of the immune response under environmental stress reflects a greater change in the utilization or degradation of the antibody rather than in the rate or degree of antibody production. In relation to resistance to infection, it is possible that different metabolic demands might influence not only the quantity but also the quality of the antibody produced. This latter question is one of many which shall require further study. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0266366
Entities
People
- Dan H. Campbell
Organizations
- California Institute of Technology