CHAPTER 12 



UTILIZATION OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCES FOR 

 DISEASE CONTROL 



Whether gramicidin or any other froduct of Tuicrobic origin will 

 eventually be found to fulfill certain furfoses better than either 

 sulfhonamides or any other class of antiseptic remains to be seen. 

 That several classes of reagent should be comfeting for suprem- 

 acy in different asfects of a task which not long ago was consid- 

 ered imfossible of any real fulfillment is a truly remarkable fosi- 

 tion{25^)' 



Microorganisms and products of their metabolism have been utilized 

 for the control of disease in man, animals, and plants with varying de- 

 grees of success. On the basis of the observations mentioned above 

 (p. 26), Pasteur may be considered as the first to advance the subject 

 of bacteriotherapy. Emmerich (233) reported that anthrax can be con- 

 trolled by the use of streptococci such as the erysipelas organism 5 these 

 bacteria were, therefore, looked upon as agents useful in bringing about 

 immunity against all bacterial infections. Pawlowsky (711) obtained 

 immunity against anthrax by inoculation with Friedlander's bacillus. 

 Bouchard (78) was successful in the control of anthrax by means of 

 Ps. aeruginosa. This organism, however, did not impart any immunity 

 to the animals, but by the use of a sterilized ten-day-old culture of the 

 antagonist, healing action was obtained against anthrax infection or at 

 least its development was delayed (1026a). It was soon demonstrated 

 (64, 131) that filtrates of Ps. aeruginosa could destroy B. anthracis. 

 The pressed extract of Ps. aeruginosa was also found to have a protec- 

 tive effect when injected in the animal simultaneously with the patho- 

 gen (534a). 



Emmerich and Low later employed a cell-free preparation of Ps. 

 aeruginosa, concentrated to one-tenth its original volume, to treat rabbits 

 infected with B. anthracis (898). This preparation also destroyed in 

 vitro a number of other bacteria, including various staphylococci, strep- 

 tococci, pneumococci, gonococci, C. difhtheriae, V. comma, and Sh. 



