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ADMINISTRATION ROUTE AND SPLENECTOMY EFFECTS ON RESISTANCE TO PNEUMOCOCCI IN RATS
Author(s) -
OFFENBARTL KARSTEN,
GULLSTRAND PER,
ALWMARK ANDERS,
CHRISTENSEN POUL
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica series b: microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0108-0180
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1984.tb02823.x
Subject(s) - spleen , medicine , splenectomy , streptococcus pneumoniae , peritoneum , immunology , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , antibiotics
Normal and splenectomized rats were challenged with Streptococcus pneumoniae type 1 via different administration routes. In experiment I , previously splenectomized or sham—operated rats received 4 times 10 3 colony—forming units (CFU) of pneumococci via (i) a peripheral vein, (ii) subcutaneously, or (iii) intraperitoneally. The results indicated an increased susceptibility of the splenectomized animal to pneumococci administered via all three routes. However, subcutaneously administered pneumococci gave a lower mortality than pneumococci given intravenously or intraperitoneally. In experiment II 40 splenectomized rats received 4 times 10 3 CFU of pneumococci via (i) peripheral, (ii) portal, or (iii) caval veins or the aorta. No differences in mortality were found. In experiment III , non‐operated animals received 4 times 10 5 CFU of pneumococci either intravenously or intraperitoneally, resulting in mortality rates of 0/20 and 17/20, respectively. After 2 weeks the rats surviving intravenous challenge received 4 times 10 5 CFU of pneumococci intraperitoneally; all survived. The data indicate the the spleen and the subcutis have a greater capacity to protect against pneumococci in the absence of specific antibody than the peritoneum or the circulation outside the spleen.