PREVITE AND BERRY 



Rectal Temperatures 



Endotoxin has been reported to elicit hypothermia in mice (Hal- 

 berg and Spink, 1956; Berry et al., 1959). It seemed appropriate to 

 determine whether or not the onset and duration of hypothermia co- 

 incided with the period during which the mice were sensitized to 

 this poison by cold exposure. The rectal temperatures of mice 

 maintained at 25° C versus those at 5° C differed significantly 

 (P<0.001) after six (37.5° C vs. 36.1° C respectively) and 12 hours of 

 exposure (37.9° C vs. 36.3° C). These differences disappeared with- 

 in 24 hours at the two different ambient temperatures (P>0.05) 

 (Table VI). 



The rectal temperature of 25° C controls (37.5° C) was signifi- 

 cantly different (P<0.05) from that recorded in mice that had re- 

 ceived an LD_^ dose of lipopolysaccharide six hours previously 

 (36.4° C). Within twelve hours the difference was even more marked 

 between these two groups (37.9° C vs. 34.8° C respectively, P<0.001). 

 The rectal temperature of 5° C control mice and that of mice given 



an LDc^ dose of lipopolysaccharide prior to exposure to this same 



o o 



temperature differed markedly at 6 hours (36.1 C vs. 29.6 C) and 



at 12 hours (36.3° C vs. 29.7° C, P<0 .001 in both cases). 



Thus hypothermia is evident within6-12hoursin 5° C controls as 

 well as lipopolysaccharide-poisoned animals exposed to 25°C. It is 

 most severe in lipopolysaccharide-poisoned animals maintained at 

 5° C post- injection. 



Hormone Administration and Survivorship 



Cortisone acetate. It has been reported that adr enalectomized rats 

 are killed by one- thousandth the dose of endotoxin required to kill 

 normal animals (Brooke et al., 19 59). The report that the admini- 

 stration of exogenous corticoids protects endotoxin poisoned ani- 

 mals was described as early as 1951 by Duffy and Morgan and has 

 been repeatedly confirmed since then (Berry etal.,1959). However, 

 whether the same protective effect would be evident in animals 

 whose metabolism was elevated by cold exposure remained to be 

 determined, 



226 



