Local active suppression and successful vaccination against spontaneous abortion in CBA/J mice.

We report here that vaccination of CBA/J female mice with DBA/2 X BALB/c recombinant line that decreases the spontaneous abortion rate increases local active decidua-associated suppressor cell activity. In contrast, vaccination with a recombinant line that increases the abortion rate decreases suppressor cell activity. No correlation was seen between the effect on the abortion rate and the ability of cells from the fetoplacental unit to inhibit cytolysis by NK cells. Successful vaccination against spontaneous abortion may act primarily by augmenting suppressor cell activity in the decidua at the implantation site.