Subacute Streptococcus viridans endocarditis—Failure of human immune transfusion and serum therapy

Abstract

In three cases of subacute Streptococcus viridans endocarditis, groups of volunteers, immunized with the patients' organisms, contributed blood by direct transfusion or (when incompatible) blood serum or blood for intramuscular injection. One patient, in a two-month period, received 1660 c.c. blood and 748 c.c. serum; another, in four months, 2720 c.c. of blood and 1100 c.c. of serum; and the third in fifteen days received 2450 c.c. blood. All three were “improved” in their own and their families' opinion, but in none could I see any beneficial effect other than temporary relief of anemia and the psychic uplift to be expected from any strange and elaborate treatment. Blood cultures remained positive; embolic phenomena and irregular fever continued; and the patients gradually failed and died in the usual course of the disease. In the meager literature of intensive immune hemotherapy for this disease and in the more numerous reports of less serious efforts I find no unequivocal record of success.