CHAPTER IV* 



THE MANUFACTURE OF ANTISERA AND OTHER BI- 

 OLOGICAL PRODUCTS RELATED TO SPECIFIC 

 INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 



The principles involved in serum therapy are those of passive 

 immunization. Therefore, the employment of an antiserum as a pre- 

 ventive or curative measure is an attempt to supply the patient with 

 certain specific substances which are capable of neutralizing and de- 

 stroying the specific toxic materials and pathogenic microorganisms. 

 Presumably, the patient receives nothing in antisera which 

 stimulate the development of protective bodies. Active immunity 

 does not follow as in the case of vaccine treatment. As the result 

 of serum treatment, the patient enjoys relatively temporary pro- 

 tection (preventive treatment), or cessation of pathologic processes 

 (curative treatment), because of the application of specific antisub- 

 stances. The substances contained in the serum are developed 

 in the blood of some other species, as the horse, through repeated 

 injections of the animal with the specific organism in question or 

 its toxin. 



Antisera are divided into antitoxic and antimicrobial sera. An 

 antitoxic serum is one possessing substances which, in contact with 

 the specific toxin, unite with it, forming chemically stable and physi- 

 ologically inert compounds. Under the term "antitoxic serum," 

 in addition to antidiphtheritic and antitetanic sera, are grouped anti- 

 sera for the soluble toxins of B. botulinus (specific meat poisoning), 

 abrin, ricin and crotin (plant toxins), snake venom and spider toxin, 

 and the soluble toxins of Bad. Welchii (gas gangrene) and of B. 

 anthracis symptomatici (blackleg in cattle). 



The antimicrobial sera constitute the majority of serum products. 

 Included among these are antimeningococcic, antistreptococcic, anti- 

 gonococcic, antistaphylococcic, antityphoid, antidysenteric, antirabic, 



Prepared by W. E. King. 



740 



