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One of the most remarkable aspects of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is its infectious nature, and for successful transmission it must avoid detection by the devil’s immune system. For this to occur, the devil either is severely immunosuppressed or factors produced by the tumor contribute to its avoidance of immune detection. An analysis of the devil’s immune system revealed the presence of normal-looking lymphoid organs and lymphoid cells. At a functional level the lymphocytes proliferated in response to mitogen stimulation. Subcutaneous injection of a cellular antigen produced a strong antibody response, providing compelling evidence that the devil has a competent immune system. Tumor cell analysis demonstrated that the tumor expresses the genes of the major histocompatibility complex; however, there was a limited diversity. Therefore, the most likely explanation for devil-to-devil transmission of DFTD is that the tumor is not recognized by the devil as “non-self” because of the limited genetic diversity. With its consistent morphology and relatively stable genome, this tumor would provide a reasonable target for a vaccine approach, provided the immune system can be coaxed into recognizing the tumor as “non-self.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Richard Charles Nairn was the Founding Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, from 1963 to 1984. He built an outstanding teaching and research department and inaugurated the first Australian diagnostic laboratory in clinical immunology based at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. As the first Chief Examiner in Immunology for the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) and first Chair of the Joint Specialist Advisory Committee in Immunology for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the RCPA, he initiated and guided the early years of laboratory and clinical immunology in Australasia. His contributions to immunopathology, particularly in cancer immunology and the technology of immunofluorescence were significant, and he was an excellent Editor and the Associate Editor of Pathology for 17 years. Richard Nairn's legacy to Australian pathology and the RCPA is the vibrant specialty of clinical immunology.

Objective: To explore immune function in patients with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)., Design: A case-control study using the standardised Cell-mediated Immunity (CMI) Multitest., Participants: Cases were 25 Vietnam combat veterans undergoing treatment for clinically diagnosed PTSD. Controls had no diagnosed psychiatric disorders: 28 were civilians and 20 were servicemen who had had South-east Asian postings but no combat experience., Main Outcome Measures: The sum score, the number of reactions and the compound scores from the CMI Multitest were assessed as a measure of immune function., Results: Psychometric tests distinguished between cases and controls at a highly significant level (P < 0.001). Veterans with PTSD had enhanced cell-mediated immunity compared with civilians (P = 0.008) and servicemen (P = 0.02)., Conclusion: PTSD in combat veterans is associated with enhanced cell-mediated immune responsiveness. This could have wide implications for psychiatry and general medicine.

A prospective study of nasal eosinophil counts was made in Jersey and Friesian dairy cattle at Leongatha, and of Hereford, Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn cattle at Kilmore, Victoria. Mean nasal eosinophil counts in subgroups of cattle were found to correlate with the known susceptibility of Jerseys and Friesians to develop bovine nasal granuloma, and to reflect the known seasonal activity of the disease, thus confirming the validity of nasal eosinophil counts as an index of clinical activity of nasal granuloma. Peaks in mean nasal eosinophil counts in cattle which developed lesions of bovine nasal granuloma during study correlated with periods of warm moist environmental conditions. This finding suggests microbial spores may be the allergen(s) in bovine nasal granuloma, and indicates that the allergen(s) might be identified by simultaneously monitoring the pasture particle content and assessing nasal eosinophilia in cattle with the disease. The detection of nasal eosinophilia in some cattle by 6 to 9 months of age also suggests early sensitisation to allergen(s); if the allergen(s) were identified they might be used to detect cattle prone to nasal granuloma at this early age. Early detection of predisposed animals would open the possibility of control of the disease by genetic selection.