746 MICROBIOLOGY OF DISEASES OF MAN AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



In procuring the serum, handling, filtering, preserving and dis- 

 tributing for use, the methods are practically the same as those em- 

 ployed in the preparation of antidiphtheritic serum. 



Antistreptococcic serum is carefully tested in regard to safety and 

 freedom from microbial contamination. There are no methods avail- 

 able for definitely standardizing the product. The serum is often 

 efficacious in cases of strep tococcic infection. 



ANTIGONOCOCCIC SERUM. Killed cultures of M. gonorrhoea are 

 injected intraperitoneally or intravenously into large, healthy rams, or 

 other animals. The dosage is increased and finally live cultures are 

 applied, the degree of immunity acquired being determined by com- 

 plement fixation and agglutination tests of the sera from the animals. 



ANTIPNEUMOCOCCIC SERUM. This is prepared by the injection of 

 horses with pneumococci, type i, and has been found to possess thera- 

 peutic properties when the disease is due to Diplococcus pneumonia, 

 type i. Antipneumococcus serum prepared from types 2 and 3 has 

 been found to be of little value as compared with serum representing 

 pneumococcus type i. In using antipneumococcic serum from type i 

 organism, it is therefore desirable, whenever possible, to isolate and 

 type the pneumococci present in a given case under treatment. 



DORSET-NILES (ANTI-HOG CHOLERA) SERUM (HYPERIMMUNE 

 SERUM)*. This product has been described in the preceding chapter 

 under "hog cholera vaccine" (Double Treatment). When the hyper- 

 immune serum is used unaccompanied by the virus, either among 

 healthy or diseased swine, the process is known as the "Serum- Alone 

 Method." Reichelf has succeeded in producing an antihog cholera 

 serum which is sterile and free from inert solid matter by precipitat- 

 ing the globulins. Dorset and Henley t have announced the produc- 

 tion of a clear and sterile serum by employing an extract of common 

 garden beans together with salt to agglutinate the blood corpuscles. 

 ANTIRABIC SERUM. Animals which have been immunized to rabies 

 are bled and the immune serum may be used as a preventive and 

 therapeutic agent. While this product is not often employed in prac- 

 tice, yet it has been shown by various investigators that considerable 

 protection is obtained from its use. 



* See U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry, Bull. No. 102. 

 tReichel, Proc. i8th Ann. Mtg. U.S.L.S.S. Asso., 1915, P- 127. 

 $ Dorset and Henley, Jour. Agr. Research, Vol. 6, May 29, 1916. 



