Effect of Antipyretics on group A Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin Fever Production and Ability to Enhance Lethal Endotoxin Shock

Abstract

SummaryThe fever response of rabbits to group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) type C was effectively reduced by pretreatment of the animals with the antipyretics, indomethacin (25 mg/kg), acetylsalicylate (200 mg/kg), and cortisone (5 mg on each of three preceding days and 2 hr before given SPE). Indomethacin and acetylsalicylate also significantly reduced the fever response of rabbits to SPE type C if given near the time of maximum fever response (4 hr after SPE). None of the antipyretic agents protected the rabbits from SPE's capacity to enhance susceptibility to lethal endotoxin shock.These data suggest that SPE fever production required prostaglandin synthesis, probably PGE1 or PGE2, and that the mechanism of fever production by SPE may be different from the mechanism underlying the enhancement of lethal endotoxin shock. Studies are presently being done to elucidate further the mechanisms of fever production and enhancement of lethal endotoxin shock by SPE.