Influence of Corticosteroid Therapy on Serum Complement, Agglutinins, Free-Boundary Electrophoresis, Total Protein and Blood Counts in Dogs with Staphylococcal Bacteremia

Summary

Corticosteroid administration in experimental staphylococcal bacteremia in dogs:

1. 1. Helped to maintain a bacteremic state.

2. 2. Caused a most severe clinical illness, debilitation and weight loss, sometimes terminating in death.

3. 3. Caused the most prominent drop in hematocrit and rise in white blood cell count.

4. 4. Altered serum complement levels by causing them to decrease and/or prevented the occurrence of an expected increase seen in dogs receiving no corticosteroids.

5. 5. Had no influence on the development of Staphylococcus aureus agglutinins.

6. 6. Caused a less prominent total protein increase and a more rapid return to normal than those observed in dogs receiving no corticosteroids.

7. 7. Caused a prominent drop of serum albumin and increase in α₃-globulin with these changes returning back to normal more rapidly than in experimental animals receiving no corticosteroids.