IgE antibodies for penicillins and cephalosporins in rats. I. Characteristics of the IgE antibodies for penicillins and cephalosporins in rats.

Rats immunized with sulbenicillin-ovalbumin (SBPC-OvA) in combination with aluminum hydroxide (alum) and thimerosal-killed Bordetella pertussis produced high levels of anti-SBPC antibodies. Anti-SBPC antibodies were first detected on day 8, reaching the maximum titer on day 12 and rapidly declined thereafter. Anti-SBPC sera obtained on day 13 were sulfhydryl-labile and heat-labile. The optimal latent period in the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction was 60 approximately 72 hours. These results indicate that anti-SBPC antibodies were IgE antibodies. Sprague-Dawley (SD), Wister and F344 rats were equally productive of anti-SBPC antibodies, while SD rats were more productive of anti-cephaloridine (CER) antibodies than Wister and F344 rats did. In SD rats, the IgE antibodies for penicillin G (PCG), ampicillin (ABPC) and SBPC were more easily produced than the IgE antibodies for CER, cefazolin (CEZ) and cephacetrile (CEC).