Influence of Orally Administered Antibiotics on anti‐T Agglutinin of Normal Subjects and of Cirrhotic Patients

Abstract. Anti‐T agglutinin was studied in normal healthy subjects and in cirrhotic patients before and after oral administration of antibiotics depressing intestinal microbial flora. After antibiotic treatment anti‐T levels were significantly reduced. These observations show that bacterial antigens of intestinal origin are likely to be responsible for anti‐T production and that there must be common determinants between them and T antigen of red blood cells. It is not sure whether the previously reported increase of anti‐T levels in liver cirrhosis is in favour of the hypothesis that hypergammaglobulinaemia in this condition is due to failure of diseased liver to trap gut‐derived antigens.