Non-pyrogenic human serum albumin (HSA) administered to specifically immunized rabbits or given as HSA-anti HSA complexes to normal recipients induced fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and consumption of complement. The pattern of these responses was distinctive from those induced by endotoxin of comparable pyrogenicity. Whereas the degree of in vitro complement consumption related directly to the antigen-antibody ratio, that observed in vivo after complex administration was more dependent upon the quantity of complexes given and their duration in the circulation. The rate of clearance of complexes from the circulation was independent of the degree of complement consumption but dependent upon the antigen-antibody ratio of the complexes. In general, no correlation was found between the extent of in vivo complement consumption and the degree or duration of fever, leukopenia or thrombocytopenia, although at low dosages the degree of complement consumption paralleled febrile responses.
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Mickenberg et al. (1971) studied this question.