A STUDY OF THE MECHANISM OF RECOVERY FROM EXPERIMENTAL PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTION

A study was made of the blood of cats and rabbits during experimental pneumococcus infection with a view to ascertaining the relationship of acquired immune properties to the mechanism of recovery. Observations were directed chiefly towards the detection of pneumococcidal promoting substances, but the other manifestations of anti-pneumococcus reaction were studied as well. It was found constantly that the serum of animals recovering from infection possessed the power to promote the destruction of highly virulent pneumococci in rabbit serum-leucocyte mixtures which mixtures of themselves have no growth inhibitory action. Furthermore, the presence of this serum immunity was associated with a marked increase in acquired resistance to the pneumococcus. In cats which were studied in the most detail the pneumococcidal promoting power of the serum as well as the opsonic, agglutinative, and mouse protective activities became demonstrable at the time of recovery and their appearance in the serum always marked the termination of blood invasion. These immune reactions were found to be type-specific. The animals which succumbed failed to develop detectable serum immune properties and showed persistent blood invasion. The degree of leucocytosis did not appear to bear any constant relation to the outcome of the disease. The significance of these findings is discussed.