930 ANTIBACTERIAL SERA 



amounts sensitize guinea pigs only irregularly to subsequent injections of horse 

 serum, "^ 



This solution is obtained by a biological process rather than by a chemical re- 

 action, and is made possible through the capacity of living pneumococci for the ad- 

 sorption of their specific immune bodies when treated with a specific serum, and by 

 the development of a practical method of separating or dissociating the pneumococcus 

 protective antibody from its antigen. By this method, protective antibodies of types 

 I, II, and III have been removed from polyvalent anti-pneumococcus serum and re- 

 suspended in salt solution, giving a solution remarkable for its extremely low serum 

 protein content, 



This substance has had a rather extensive clinical trial, and when used early has 

 shown definite therapeutic value in type I and type II cases. This has been confirmed 

 by experimental work on monkeys with lobar pneumonia. An occasional case of type 

 III infection has responded favorably to treatment with this solution, but experi- 

 mental work on monkeys shows no effect on type III. This is doubtless due to the 

 fact that type III antibodies are present to a much less extent than antibodies of type 

 I or II. It is probable that if a type III serum can be produced with potency equiva- 

 lent to the best type I sera, the therapeutic results will also be assured in cases caused 

 by type III pneumococcus. 



ANTI-STAPHYLOCOCCIC SERUM 



No anti-staphylococcic sera have been regularly or generally prepared, but their 

 occasional use has been attended with some beneficial effects in certain cases. 



The preparation of anti-staphylococcic serum involves the immunization of horses 

 for an extended period, using as antigens several representative strains of staphy- 

 lococci, both the S. aureus and the S. albus. The only method of standardization ap- 

 plied in the routine production of this serum on a large scale is the agglutination test, 

 the serum being required to agglutinate each strain in a dilution of loo or better. 



Parker^ has reported that a considerable number of the strains of staphylococcus 

 produce a soluble exotoxin in sufficient amounts to be demonstrable by intradermal 

 tests on rabbits. Parker and Banzhaf^ showed that horses could be immunized to 

 this toxic substance, with the production of a rather high-potency antitoxic serum. 

 The therapeutic use of this serum has not as yet been reported, so that its value in 

 the treatment of such diseases as staphylococcus septicemia, etc., is not known. 



ANTI-STREPTOCOCCIC SERUM (POLYVALENX) 



From the early studies on the streptococci it was quickly apparent that almost 

 all streptococci responsible for acute infections possessed hemolytic properties. While 

 they were found to exhibit varied activities, they were regarded as one species under 

 the name of Streptococcus hemolyticus. Later, it was shown that the hemolytic 

 streptococci could be subdivided as to their sugar reactions, but that these reactions 

 had little relation to pathogenic activity. After the introduction of immunological 

 technique it began to be apparent that hemolytic streptococci causing similar lesions 



' Huntoon, F. M.: /. Imimmol., 6, 2. March 19, 1920. 



^ Parker, J. T.: Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol, b" Med., 23, 344. Feb., 1926. 



3 Parker, J. T., and Banzhaf, E. J.: /. Tnnniinol., 13, 25. Jan., 1927. 



