Escherichia coli Bacteremia in the Squirrel Monkey: Demonstration of a Complement-Dependent Neutrophil Response

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Abstract
Squirrel monkeys were significantly depleted of complement by a nontoxic protein constituent of cobra venom, and the influence of complement depletion on the course of bacteremia due to Escherichia coli was studied. Striking neutropenia occurred rapidly in control animals, while the rate of occurrence of neutropenia was 20–30 times slower in animals treated with cobra-venom; this finding suggested that the neutropenia induced by E. coli was at least partially a complement-mediated response. In complement-depleted monkeys, sustained levels of E. coli bacteremia were consistently higher than in control animals. These observations are consistent with a hypothesis that complement-mediated neutrophilic-leukocyte function is an important defense mechanism of the host in gram-negative bacillary bacteremia.

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