Immunity to Vibrio cholerae in the mouse. II. Effect of a cell-adherent immune factor.

Serum, peritoneal exudate cells, or spleen cells were obtained from donor mice immunized with Vibrio cholerae Ogawa 41. Normal recipients were protected from lethal Vibrio infection when challenged one day after transfer of immune serum or peritoneal cells or normal peritoneal cells exposed in vitro to immune serum. Protection of recipients of immune spleen cells was evident when the cell transfer-challenge interval was 14 days but not when it was 1 day. Transfer of immunity with peritoneal cells from actively immunized donors was long lasting, whereas that derived from in vitro treatment of normal cells was of short duration. Both a cell-adherent and a nonadhering immune factor appear to be important in this immunity.