TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS 295 



(1939, p. 629) state definitely that it does not, while Robertson 

 (1929), Peterson and Hall (1923), and others report that it pro- 

 duces a true toxin that is very unstable. The disagreement results 

 from a difference in the conception of the properties of soluble 

 toxins. They all agree that whole cultures injected intramuscularly 

 into guinea pigs produce a rapid digestion of the tissues. Robert- 

 son and others state that the digestion is due to an extracellular en- 

 zyme that is antigenic and for this reason feel that it comes within 

 the proper definition of a true toxin. 



Infection, Factors Affecting the Germination of Spores. — 

 In natural infection where soil containing spores of various patho- 

 genic anaeobes, along with spores and vegetative forms of other 

 bacteria, gains entrance to a wound, the question arises as to the 

 factors favoring or discouraging the germination of the spores. 

 It is thought that the normal oxygen tension in the tissues is un- 

 favorable to germination. In a wound the presence of dead 

 tissue and a low oxygen tension are probably the most important 

 conditions favoring germination of the spores and the vegetative 

 multiplication of the pathogenic anaerobes. Under these condi- 

 tions, the bacteria begin to produce toxin quickly, and this leads 

 to the production of more necrosis and better conditions for bac- 

 terial growth. Aerobic and facultative anaerobic contaminants 

 present in the wound aid materially in reducing the oxygen ten- 

 sion, and certain chemical tissue debilitants carried in with the 

 infectious agents favor necrosis. 



Importance of Removal of Devitalized Tissue. — Early in the 

 World "War gas gangrene presented a serious medical and surgical 

 problem. It was soon discovered, however, that early surgical 

 I'emoval of all devitalized tissue from a Avound and the control 

 of surgical closure by bacteriologieal examination reduced the 

 incidence of the disease to a very low level. The serum treatment 

 of gas gangrene did not receive much attention until after Bull 

 and Pritchett (1917) had shown that CI. ivelchii produces a soluble 

 toxin. Previous to that time it was well established that CI. 

 aepticum and CI. oedematiens are capable of producing specific 

 antigenic poisons. For a recent discussion of infection by gas- 

 forming anaerobes the student is referred to a j^aper by Reeves 

 (1935). 



