Fever induced in rabbits by intravenous injection of bovine serum albumin.

Abstract

1. Bovine serum albumin injected into conscious rabbits produced a dose-dependent fever of short latency and duration of at least 2 1/2 hr. 2. The fever was not due to contamination by other proteins nor due to contamination by bacterial endotoxin. 3. The fever following albumin injection had characteristics similar to endogenous pyrogen fever. 4. Some traditional ways of distinguishing bacterial endotoxin fever from other types of fever need to be reassessed.