INFLUENCE OF HYPOTHERMIA ON THE ACTION OF 

 BACTERIAL TOXINS 



G. Tunevall and T. Lindner 



Central Bacteriology Laboratory 



Box 177 



Stockholm 1, Sweden 



ABSTRACT 



In hypothermic mice with a body temperature of 22° C to 23° C, given about one 

 DLy)o °^ tetanal toxin, the survival was significantly longer than in normothermic ones 

 given the preparatory (Hibernal- Nembutal) treatment but not chilled (54 versus 29.5 

 hours at 48 hours of hypothermia). This result must be cautiously evaluated. Though 

 hypothermia was not established until three hours after toxin injection, absorption 

 from the subcutaneous site may be slower in hypothermic animals. Further, narcotic 

 pretreatment drugs, though given also to the controls, may be more slowly eliminated 

 by hypothermic mice, resulting in a milder and protracted course of the toxic manifes- 

 tations. An attempt was done to find out if hypothermia prolonged the time during which 

 toxin could be neutralized by antitoxin. Antitoxin after 15 minutes resulted in survival 

 of all mice. At a toxin- antitoxin interval of four hours no animal was saved, but sur- 

 vival was prolonged and more so in hypothermic mice than was corresponded by the 

 length of hypothermia (80 versus 43 hours at 4 hours of hypothermia). At an interval 

 of 10 hours, survival was shorter in both groups, and the difference between hypothermic 

 and normothermic mice equalled the duration of hypothermia (50 versus 39 hours at 

 10 hours of hypothermia). These observations must be corroborated by further experi- 

 ments before they can be safely evaluated. The effects of staphylococcal toxin are less 

 likely to be attenuated by the premedication pertaining to our procedure for inducing 

 hypothermia. On the contrary, a synergism was observed between the narcotic drugs 

 and this toxin, as amounts less than one conventional DL.qq were sufficient to kill the 

 mice. Also with this toxin, however, the survival was longer in hypothermic mice 

 (3.5 versus 2 hours). 



Induced hypothermia has been employed clinically in a variety of 

 conditions, among others in intoxications. As seems often to be the 

 case in connection with hypothermia, animal experimentation has 

 been scarce and tended to lag behind the applications in human 

 beings, 



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