Passive transfer of demyelination by experimental allergic neuritis serum.

Serum from rabbits with experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) when injected into rat sciatic nerves produced rapidly evolving demyelination followed by remyelination. Myelinating and non-meylinating Schwann cells as well as myelin itself were damaged by 15 min after injection. Myelin degradation was well advanced prior to involvement by macrophages at 12 h. The demyelinating factor was myelin-specific and complement-dependent. The evidence suggests that the EAN antigen may reside in Schwann cell membranes as well as in myelin.