The in vivo sensitization of avian erythrocytes with Salmonella gallinarum polysaccharide.

The intravenous inoculation into fowls of large doses of crude polysaccharide preparations derived from a smooth strain of resulted in the adsorption of some of the polysaccharide on the surfaces of circulating erythrocytes. This adsorption, detectable by an antiglobulin haemagglutination test, lasted for a maximum of approximately 24 hours after inoculation of polysaccharide. Similarly, sensitization of avian erythrocytes reached a maximum at about 8-10 days following oral infection of fowls with . These results are discussed in relation to the ability of the reticulo-endothelial system to remove polysaccharide from the blood stream, and to the possible consequences of the hosts' immunological response to sensitized erythrocytes.