132 THE BACTERIOPHAGE 



ANTIBODIES TO THE BACTERIA 



The dysentery bacilli are agglutinated by the antibacterio- 

 phagous serum, and this serum contains also an amboceptor 

 which permits the fixation of complement. The presence of 

 such antibodies is inevitable and is obtained by the injection of 

 any material containing the dysentery bacilli, living or dead, 

 intact or dissolved. The presence of such antibodies is without 

 especial significance. 



ANTIBODIES TO THE BACTERIAL TOXIN 



In the present case these antibodies should neutralize the dysen- 

 tery endotoxin. The serum of an animal prepared by the in- 

 jection of dysentery bacilli, living or dead, contains an antitoxin. 3 

 On the other hand, a culture of B. dysenteriae lysed by the bac- 

 teriophage contains a toxin, for if experimental animals are in- 

 jected with such a culture a short time after lysis the animals die 

 as though they had received a lethal dose of the toxin of Nicolle. 

 The serum of an animal treated with such cultures ought to con- 

 tain an antitoxin. This can be verified. 



Experiment XL1I. A mouse receives by subcutaneous injection a lethal 

 dose of the dysentery toxin prepared by the method of Nicolle, and at the 

 same time 0.5 cc. of the bacteriophage-Shiga antiserum. A second mouse 

 receives the same amount of toxin and 0.5 cc. of an anti-dysentery serum. 

 A third mouse receives a lethal dose of the toxin only. The first mouse 

 dies in about thirty hours after the injection, the second lives, the third 

 dies four days after the injection. 



The bacteriophage-Shiga antiserum is therefore not antitoxic; 

 indeed, on the contrary, it is definitely sensitizing. Let us con- 

 sider this singular phenomenon further. 



3 The antidysenteric serum furnished by the Pasteur Institute is derived 

 from horses treated by injections of dysentery toxin secured according 

 to the method of Rowland, as modified by Maurice Nicolle. The bacterial 

 bodies are ground with anhydrous sodium sulfate, the powder obtained is 

 dried in the air, and dissolved in water at the time of injection. The 

 turbid fluid thus obtained is centrifuged, and the clear supernatant portion 

 is used for the injection. The serum neutralizes the endotoxin, as animal 

 experimentation shows. 



