Passive transfer of autoimmune aspermogenic orchiepididymitis (AIAO) by antispermatozoa sera. Influence of the type of autoantigen and of the class of antibody.

Three different autoantigens (S, P and T), extracted and separated from guinea-pig spermatozoa, give rise to an autoimmune aspermogenic orchitis (AIAO) when injected with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). They also induce specific antibodies, such as anaphylactic (with S and P), complement-fixing (with P and T), spermotoxic (only with T) and precipitating and Arthus-inducing antibodies (only with P). Passive transfer of AIAO was attempted by injections of high total doses (15-20 ml per animal) of immune sera directed against one of the three antigens. Successful passive transfers were evaluated by the intensity of the epididymal and testicular lesions which were comparable to the actively induced ones, and by the rapid appearance of these lesions in less than 1 week and their lasting for at least 2 weeks. The disease was passively transferred with anti-P immune sera in as many as 64% of these cases and up to 40% with anti-T immune sera. Anti-S sera did not transfer AIAO more than did control normal and anti-DNP-BGG guinea-pig sera. The incidence and intensity of lesions were greatly for anti-P or slightly for anti-T increased by pretreating the future recipients with FCA. Hyperimmune sera are considerably more effective than early sera even when the latter are used in a time sequence reproducing that of the active reaction. The orchitogenic acitvity of anti-T sera appears to be localized in IgG2 DEAE fractions while that of anti-P has been found only in Ig1-containing DEAE fractions.