Action of Antipneumococcus Serum in the Pneumonic Rat and its Penetration into the Pulmonary Lesion

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Large numbers of pneumococci were found in the lungs, and also in the blood, spleen, liver, and kidneys of untreated animals; administration of antipneumococcus serum tended to keep the blood and other organs free of pneumococci, but did not reduce the number of bacteria in the lung. If treatment were delayed until after the organisms were distributed throughout the body, the antiserum cleared the blood stream, but did not lower the number of pneumococci in the spleen, liver and kidneys. Moreover, the blood stream did not remain free of bacteria. Circulation persists in the pneumonic lung, but may be greatly retarded. Expts. with a rabbit hemolysin serum of high titer indicated that the antiserum does not penetrate the alveoli of the lung to a demonstrable extent. Much more antiserum is necessary to neutralize the polysaccharide present in the alveoli than the small amount which may penetrate. This is reflected by the failure of antiserum to decrease the number of bacteria in the lungs.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: