ABSTRACT
The germfree (GF) rat and especially the GF mouse have proven to be excellent models for the study of the many factors that determine immune potential. In the absence of exogenous stimulation the full potential remains in the background, especially as far as B cell function and phagocytosis are concerned. In the meantime, workers at the Pasteur Institute had come to recognize that the immune potential may have an “autonomous core” of functional B and T cells. Although it had become obvious that after association with a CV microflora, with its variety of stimulatory products, GF rats and mice would eventually attain a normal range of immune globulins, the matter of the more quantitative aspects of the immune potential of the GF animal was still considered unanswered. The GF animal therefore presented itself as a model of choice for the study of radiation damage and organ transplantation.
