Effects of Prolonged Viosterol Administration and of Artificial Sunlight Irradiation on Experimental Tuberculosis in Rabbits.

Abstract

At the 1932 meeting of the National Tuberculosis Association, we reported favorable results from the treatment of tuberculous guinea pigs with viosterol and ascending doses of tuberculin.1 In the present work a similar though more extensive investigation was performed upon albino rabbits. In addition to the viosterol-treated animals, certain groups were treated with artificial sunlight irradiation to determine whether the irradiation might not have an effect similar to that produced by viosterol.The rabbits were inoculated subcutaneously with a lethal dose of bovine tubercle bacilli (0.01 mg. of a culture, 0.001 mg. of which was known to produce tuberculosis in the rabbit) and were divided into 6 groups of 8 animals each. The respective groups received treatment as follows: I, viosterol; II, viosterol plus tuberculin; III, ultraviolet irradiation and maize oil; IV, ultraviolet irradiation and maize oil plus tuberculin; V (tuberculin controls), tuberculin and maize oil; VI (untreated controls), maize oil. ...