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Effects of Certain Antiorgan Sera on Experimental Malaria and Trypanosomiasis in Mice

From the Research Department, Ciba Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Summit, New Jersey, and Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Abstract

The administration of rabbit antimouse spleen serum to mice on either the day before or the day after infection with Plasmodium berghei did not result in any alterations in the course of the infection as measured by parasitemia, reticulocyte counts or mortality in comparison with controls. The administration of rabbit antimouse spleen serum to mice infected with Trypanosoma congolense may result in an acceleration of the infection, if large quantities are used, or in a delay in the course of the disease, if smaller quantities are used.

The administration of rabbit antispleen sera prepared with heterologous antigens of bovine and human origin results in delays in the course of T. congolense infections, the median survival time of the treated mice sometimes being extended as much as 24 days beyond the median survival time of the untreated controls. Less pronounced extensions of survival time were observed when antilymph node and antithymus sera were used, and antisera prepared against bovine blood and bone marrow were ineffective.

Heterologous antispleen sera which were active in T. congolense infections had only barely detectable influence on infections with T. gambiense, which are more acute. The results obtained are compatible with Bogomolets' explanation of the mode of action of antireticular cytotoxic sera which depress the reticuloendothelial system when administered in large quantities and stimulate the same system when given in smaller amounts. The studies herein reported suggest that interesting observations might be made using other types of antisera in infections which are of a subacute or chronic nature which would allow time for the therapy and show its effect.

Footnotes

¹ Present address: Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, New York, N. Y.