Effect of Corynebacterium parvum on the class and subclass of antibody produced in the response of different strains of mice to sheep erythrocytes.

Several strains of mice were injected with sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) using C. parvum as adjuvant. The adjuvant effects on the amounts of class and subclass of antibody produced were ranked in the order IgG2b greater than IgG2a and IgM greater than IgG1. In addition, these effects were shown to vary depending on the time of administration of C. parvum relative to antigen. C parvum was shown to have no adjuvant effect on the response of congenitally athymic mice when given at the same time as the antigen, SRBC. On the basis of the reported observations it is suggested that certain of the adjuvant effects of C. parvum require T-cell function.