Effect of Allergic Shock on Fate of Staphylococci in the Organs of Mice

Abstract

Female albino mice of 2 different breeds were treated intraperitoneally with a mixture of bovine serum and pertussis vaccine. In confirmation of findings of other investigators, it was found that a large percentage of the animals so sensitized died within 30-60 minutes following the intravenous injection of very small amounts of serum 2-4 weeks after sensitization. The sensitizing effect appeared specific, as no deaths occurred when either rabbit serum or egg albumin was used for the challenge injection. Mice pretreated by intraperitoneal injection of bovine serum and pertussis vaccine, or of pertussis vaccine alone, were infected intravenously several weeks later with staphylococci resuspended in 1/2000 bovine serum. When they were sacrificed 24 hours after infection, it was found that many more staphylococcal colonies could be recovered from the kidneys, liver and lungs of the animals that had been sensitized to bovine serum, than from the organs of animals of the control group.