THE HALF-LIFE OF HOMOLOGOUS GAMMA GLOBULIN (ANTIBODY) IN SEVERAL SPECIES

1. The half-lives of homologous gamma globulins labelled with I(131) agree well with the half-lives of passively administered homologous antibodies and provide a simple, quantitative tool for the determination of antibody half-life when immunochemical techniques are difficult to apply. 2. The half-lives of gamma globulin or antibody vary markedly from species to species and apparently even among age groups within a species. 3. The half-lives of gamma globulin or antibody seem to be dependent, at least in part, on the metabolic rate of the host.