Suppression of immunological memory for a cross-reactive idiotype in adult mice

Previous investigations have demonstrated the feasibility of suppressing the production of an idiotype, associated with anti-p-azophenylarsonate antibodies in A/J mice, by pretreatment of adult mice with anti-idiotypic antiserum. The present study indicates that immunological memory, with respect to the formation of the cross-reactive idiotype, can similarly be suppressed in adult mice by intraperitoneal inoculation of rabbit anti-idiotypic antiserum. There was no concomitant suppression of the formation of anti-hapten antibody lacking the cross-reactive idiotype, nor of antibody to the protein carrier. The data indicate that the immunoglobulin receptors present on memory cells are available to the injected anti-idiotypic antibodies and that these cells are not sequestered. The data do not distinguish between inactivation or destruction of memory cells in vivo.