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Science 10 December 1999:
Vol. 286. no. 5447, p. 2041
DOI: 10.1126/science.286.5447.2041g
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Even mice that are raised in sterile environments have antibodies. The physiologic role of "natural antibodies" is not clear. Ochsenbein et al. (p. 2156) report that natural antibodies contain specificities for various pathogens. When mice lacking these antibodies are infected, the viruses or bacteria become widely disseminated throughout multiple organs. Addition of antibody-containing normal mouse serum to these mice changes the localization of the pathogens, which are then concentrated in the spleen and lymph nodes. Thus, natural antibodies seem to prevent wide dissemination of the virus and target it to the organs of the immune system, where an immune response is initiated.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)