224 DISEASE CONTROL 



by means of an Actinomyces, designated as a mycolysate, will not. The 

 use of living proteolytic bacteria (neocolysin) for treatment of chronic 

 purulent conditions, such as osteomyelitis, gave favorable results j the 

 bacteria were believed to continue growing as long as there was dead 

 tissue available ( 99 ) . 



Besredka (51) used culture filtrates of bacteria for the treatment of 

 various diseases in man. A filtrate of the anthrax organism was em- 

 ployed for dressings or for intracutaneous injections j the results were 

 at least as good as those obtained with the bacterial vaccine. Staphy- 

 lococci and streptococci were also utilized for similar purposes. Besredka 

 believed that a substance, designated as antivirus, was secreted by the 

 bacteria into the filtrate. This was said to check further growth of the 

 bacteria. The mode of action of the antivirus was considered to be dif- 

 ferent from that of antibodies : the first affects the cells locally by stimu- 

 lating their resistance} the second acts upon the organism as a whole 

 and, through it, against the infecting agents. Antivirus was prepared by 

 allowing bacteria to grow in ordinary bouillon for a long time, until the 

 medium became unfavorable for further development of the bacteria. 

 Staphylococcus antivirus prevented the growth of the staphylococcus or- 

 ganism in a medium in which it had grown previously. In the presence 

 of the homologous antivirus, the organisms underwent active phagocy- 

 tosis, this action being specific. The antivirus was nontoxic and could 

 withstand a temperature of 100° C. It imparted to certain tissues a local 

 immunity against the specific bacteria. 



The favorable therapeutic results obtained from the use of antivirus 

 have been confirmed, largely in France, Austria, and Germany. The 

 antivirus apparently acts not upon the bacterium but upon the tissue of 

 the host in such a way as to produce local immunization, thus prevent- 

 ing infection. Although unspecific filtrates may cause an occasional in- 

 crease of resistance, the protection produced by specific filtrates is said to 

 be more intense and more dependable {Gs'},-, 741). Antivirus therapy 

 was believed to offer some promise, although it was said not to give con- 

 sistent results (381). Further studies of antivirus led to suggestions that 

 its favorable effects were due entirely to the culture medium (6). The 

 whole question thus appears to be still debatable, with proponents and 

 opponents of the specific nature of the antivirus effect ( 1 10, 589). 



