Open AccessEffect of prednisolone on the toxicity of Bordetella pertussis for mice
Author(s) -
R. Parton
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of medical microbiology/journal of medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1473-5644
pISSN - 0022-2615
DOI - 10.1099/00222615-19-3-391
Subject(s) - bordetella pertussis , prednisolone , toxicity , toxin , pertussis toxin , microbiology and biotechnology , whooping cough , bordetella , pharmacology , biology , immunology , medicine , bacteria , receptor , genetics , vaccination , g protein
Prednisolone, given orally or intraperitoneally before challenge, protected mice against the lethal effect of a crude cell extract of Bordetella pertussis containing heat-labile toxin (HLT) as the major toxic component. Prednisolone did not diminish the lethal toxicity of heated B. pertussis cell suspensions containing pertussis toxin and endotoxin but devoid of HLT. This suggests that the protective effect of the steroid was directed against the HLT. When live bacteria were injected intraperitoneally, prednisolone showed a protective effect against the initial toxaemia. By day 7, however, the protection was no longer evident and the steroid promoted the survival of the organisms within the peritoneal cavity. These findings are discussed in the light of reports of the beneficial effects of corticosteroids in the treatment of whooping cough and in relation to a possible role for HLT in the pathogenesis of the disease.