474 WHOOPING-COUGH 



differences could be made out. The most important distinctions 

 were, however, obtained on studying the serum reactions of 

 convalescents from the disease. They found that in many cases, 

 though not invariably, such sera agglutinated their bacillus, but 

 none of the influenza-like organisms. The most important 

 result, however, was that in every case examined the serum of 

 convalescents gave the deviation of complement reaction very 

 markedly with the whooping-cough bacillus, but with none of the 

 others. This means, of course, that a true anti-substance to the 

 bacillus (immune-body or substance sensibilisatrice) was present 

 in the serum, and points to a true infection with the organism 

 (p.131). 



Pathogenic Effects. The general results obtained by 

 Bordet and Gengou were that the ordinarily used animals were 

 not susceptible to true infection with the bacillus, but that it 

 contained a powerfully acting endotoxin, which produced both 

 local and general effects. The injection of a small quantity of 

 the bacillus into the eye of a rabbit produced a local necrosis, 

 with little inflammatory change, and the introduction of dead, 

 as well as living, cultures into the peritoneal cavity of a guinea- 

 pig caused death from toxic action, there being great effusion 

 into the cavity and numerous haemorrhages in its lining. 



They advanced the view that the bacillus is present in large 

 numbers at the beginning of the disease, and inflicts some local 

 damage on the bronchial tubes which may persist after the dis- 

 appearance of the bacillus and keep up the irritation. 



Similar results were obtained with an endotoxin prepared accord- 

 ing to Besredka's method. It was not found possible to obtain an 

 anti-toxin to this toxin. Very important results have, however, 

 been since obtained by Klimenko, who succeeded in infecting 

 monkeys and young dogs by intratracheal injection of pure 

 cultures of the bacillus. After a period of incubation, there 

 occurred an illness in which symptoms of pulmonary irritation 

 and irregular pyrexia were outstanding features. Usually, in 

 the case of the dogs, a fatal result followed after two or three 

 weeks, and post mortem there were found symptoms of catarrh 

 of the respiratory tract and sometimes patches of broncho- 

 pneumonia, from which the bacillus could be recovered in pure 

 culture. The serum of the infected animals gave the deviation 

 of complement reaction. A specially interesting fact is that a 

 number of healthy young dogs contracted the disease by contact 

 with the inoculated. Fraenkel also obtained positive results, 

 closely similar to those of Kliinenko, on inoculation with pure 

 cultures of the bacillus. 



