Comparative hemodynamic and humoral responses of puppies and adult dogs to endotoxin

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Abstract
The lethality, the hemodynamic response, the release of plasma histamine and catecholamine, and the level of serum complement following endotoxin were compared in puppies and adult dogs. The puppy during the first 6 months of life was approximately four times more sensitive to the lethal effects of endotoxin than the adult dog. Endotoxin did not induce sudden hypotension until the puppy reached 1 month of life. Despite a lack of sudden hypotension, plasma catecholamine levels rose and serum complement levels fell. The first endotoxin challenge was not accompanied by an elevation in plasma histamine in puppies, but it was in adult dogs. Repeated endotoxin challenges in the puppy were, however, accompanied by progressive elevations in plasma histamine. Histamine pretreatment protected the puppy from the lethal effects of endotoxin.