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The surgical interruption of afferent lymphatics in the hind limb of dog leads to peripheral lymph stasis. The stagnated lymph contains large numbers of immunocompetent cells originating solely from the skin. This experimental model allows a study of the functions of the afferent skin-draining lymph cell population, the recovery and assessment of the lymphokines and other mediators liberated by these cells during the culture, and the production of anti-sera against different types of lymph cells. In the present study, we focused on the functional, morphological and cytochemical evaluation of the non-lymphoid cells, isolated from the whole lymph cell population by means of the gradient centrifugation technique. The non-lymphoid cells were large, with an irregularly-shaped nucleus and numerous cytoplasmic projections, giving them a "veiled" cell (VC) appearance. All VC were strongly positive for DLA-class II antigens and membrane-associated ATP-ase, and 60% of them exhibited the activity of non-specific esterase. In the functional assays, VC displayed the potent accessory-cell activity in the mitogen-induced response of autologous blood- and lymph-derived lymphocytes. In the mixed leukocyte cultures, VC acted as stimulators of the allogeneic and autologous lymphocyte proliferation. The high spontaneous and mitogen-induced responsiveness of the whole lymph cell population was found to be dependent on the presence of VC. The small number of VC (5% of cultured cells) was sufficient to produce the above-mentioned effects. These results indicate that VC is a cell responsible for the antigen presentation in the skin-associated immune reactions in dog, which is relevant to the observations on similar cells from the other species.

Induced systemic arterial hypotension by intravenous nitroprusside administration and by acute arterial occlusion in sheep have been found to reduce lymphocyte traffic as mirrored in the output of lymphocytes into the efferent lymph of peripheral lymph nodes. In the present series of experiments in sheep with chronically cannulated efferent lymphatics of peripheral lymph nodes, induced and monitored systemic arterial hypertension with intravenous pump infusions of phenylephrine or dopamine both produced sharp increases in the output of lymphocytes into efferent lymph in all of 27 studies. The increases in lymphocyte output with dopamine were more sustained and less associated with evidence of lymphoid tissue damage than with phenylephrine. Phenylephrine infusions were attended by a high incidence of gross bleeding into the efferent lymph, of increased coagulability of efferent lymph in the absence of gross bleeding and of prolonged depression of lymphocyte outputs after the cessation of intravenous infusion.

A farmed red deer in contact with a flock of lambing ewes developed malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). Tissues from this deer were homogenised and inoculated into two rabbits one of which developed a febrile response on the 11th day. This rabbit was killed on the following day after developing conjunctivitis and hyperaemia of the nostrils. The condition was transmitted from this rabbit through a further three rabbit passes. Of 21 rabbits inoculated 15 reacted after three to 29 days. The clinical and pathological disease that developed was indistinguishable from the response of rabbits to infection with the virus of MCF of wildebeest origin. Infectivity was retained in homogenised tissues stored at -80 degrees C in 10% dimethyl sulphoxide but could not be detected in supernatant fluid of a lightly centrifuged tissue homogenate, which suggests that the agent is cell associated.