Attempts to induce typhoid fever in chimpanzees with non-VI strains of Salmonella typhosa.

Abstract

The earliest investigations on experimental typhoid infection in primates and other animals were performed with cultures of typhoid bacilli of unknown antigenic composition. With the advent of information leading to antigenic characterization of various strains of 5a/monella typhosa (Wreil and Felix, 1920; Felix and Pitt, 1934), many studies were performed in small animals in which it was sought to clarify the relationship between antigenic composition of the typhoid bacillus and its virulence following parenteral inoculation. These studies showed that both Vi and O antigens were necessary for this organism to have maximum virulence for mice (Felix and Pitt, 1935; Felix and Pitt, 1951; Landy et al, 1957; Gaines et al, 1961b; Gaines andTully, 1961a). Studies on experimental typhoid fever in chimpanzees conducted in this institution over a number of years (Edsall et al, 1954; Edsall et al, 1960) have confirmed and extended the work of Griinbaum