The Journal of Experimental Medicine
MBL International Tel: 800.200.5459 CLICK HERE
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JEM
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Shinefield, H. R.
Right arrow Articles by Kaye, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Shinefield, H. R.
Right arrow Articles by Kaye, D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol 123, 777-794, Copyright © 1966 by The Rockefeller University Press

ARTICLE

EFFECT OF SPLENECTOMY ON THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF MICE INOCULATED WITH DIPLOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE

Henry R. Shinefield M.D.1, Charles R. Steinberg M.D.1, and Donald Kaye M.D.1

1 From the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Medicine, The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York

An experimental model is described which demonstrated increased susceptibility of mice to infection with D. pneumoniae following splenectomy. It was necessary to use small numbers of a particular strain of pneumococcus (D. pneumoniae type 6), intravenous infection and a particular strain of mouse (pathogen-free NCS strain). The increase in susceptibility persisted for at least 4 months after splenectomy.

With modifications in experimental design such as use of large numbers of organisms, a different strain of pneumococcus, the intraperitoneal route of infection or a different mouse strain no increase or a much less impressive increase in susceptibility was demonstrated.

Following intravenous injection of small numbers of D. pneumoniae Type 6 bacteremia tended to persist in all NCS mice. Multiplication of pneumococci subsequently occurred in a higher proportion of mice with splenectomy and at a more rapid rate than in control animals. Mice with splenectomy usually had more D. pneumoniae per ml of blood than per gram of any tissue. This suggested that in these mice multiplication of microorganisms occurs primarily in blood. In control mice higher concentrations of bacteria were present in spleen than in blood, and higher concentrations were found in blood than in other tissues. These results suggested that in normal mice infected intravenously with small numbers of D. pneumoniae Type 6, the spleen protects by removing and killing small but critical numbers of D. pneumoniae which are circulating in the blood.

No evidence was found to suggest that the altered susceptibility is mediated by an effect of splenectomy on numbers of circulating leukocytes or on the antibacterial activity of mouse blood.

 Submitted on January 9, 1966


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search
TABLE OF CONTENTS