Anaphylactic Shock Produced by a Soluble Specific Substance Largely Carbohydrate in Nature.

Abstract

In order to study the relation of the precipitin test to anaphylaxis, and to determine whether a substance largely carbohydrate in nature and failing to give protein reactions would produce shock, the following experiments were made. The aerogenes specific substance described in the previous paper, containing 0.9 per cent N and giving a precipitate with immune serum when diluted 1:500,000, was used for the tests. Twenty guinea pigs were sensitized by the intraperitoneal injection of 1 cc. aerogenes immune serum, and the response of their uteri tested, using the Schultz-Dale method. The uteri of all these animals reacted to the specific substance when tested from 2 hours to 12 days after the injection of serum. The smallest amount of specific substance that caused a distinct but not maximal contraction, was 0.00000625 gm. added to a bath of 123 cc. so that the final concentration of the substance was 1:20,000,000. Desensitization of the uteri was demonstrated after the contraction due to one addition of 0.005 gm. of the substance to the bath. When tested for sensitiveness to specific substances obtained from other strains of aerogenes there was no response, so that the results correspond to those obtained with the precipitin reaction. As controls, the uteri from 6 normal guinea pigs were tested and not one gave a reaction following the addition of as much as 0.01 gm. of specific substance to the bath. In Zrivo tests were made on 11 guinea pigs 24 hours after the intraperitoneal injection of from 1 to 4 cc. immune serum. Ten of these animals died showing the typical symptoms and signs of anaphylaxis. The M. L. D. of the specific substance for these sensitized animals was 0.000033 gm. The animal receiving 0.00002 gm., showed symptoms, but survived. Control tests on untreated animals show that 0.001 gm. failed to cause any reaction.