Observations on the opsonic index and the antipneumococcal power of the blood in pneumonia / Herman E. Wolf.

  • Wolf, Herman E.
Date:
[1906]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Observations on the opsonic index and the antipneumococcal power of the blood in pneumonia / Herman E. Wolf. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Reprinted from The Journal of Infectious diseases, Vol. 3> No. 5» October 30, 1906 OBSERVATIONS ON THE OPSONIC INDEX AND THE ANTIPNEUMOCOCCAL POWER OF THE BLOOD IN PNEUMONIA * Herman E. Wolf. {From the Pathological Laboratory oj Rush Medical College, Chicago.) It has been shown by Wright and Douglas and others that phagocytosis of various bacteria is dependent upon the presence in the blood and other fluids of certain substances called opsonins; moreover, that these substances exert their influence upon the bac- teria and not directly upon the leucocytes. It has been demon- strated also that opsonins are increased during the course of acute infections, especially as recovery takes place, and that they may be artificially increased by the injection of killed bacteria. Thus Wright and Douglas1 have shown that there may be a deficiency of the proper opsonins in chronic staphylococcus infections and in tuberculosis, and that the opsonins are increased by injection of corresponding bacterial vaccines. Mennes2 previously described an increase in the substance that promotes phagocytosis of pneumo- cocci in the serum of animals ^immunized to pneumococci. He took the view then prevalent that the substance in question acted wholly by stimulating the leucocytes to phagocytic action. Hektoen^ obtained increase in the streptococcic opsonic index in man by the injection of dead streptococci, while Neufeld and Rimpau4 found that sera of animals immunized to streptococci and pneumococci prepare virulent strains of these bacteria for phagocytosis, while normal sera do not. It was thought, therefore, that it would be of interest to determine the opsonic power of the blood during the course of pneumonia in its various phases. Corresponding dilutions of normal and pneu- monic serum were added to fixed quantities of washed blood (leuco- p , * R'rC1'eo ^ PUb!iCat‘°n June 4' 19<x5' This work was conducted under the Alumni Fellowship of Rush Medical College, Chicago. K References to the work of Wright and his colleagues are given by Wright, Lancet, 1905, 2, p. 1598 * Zeitschr. f. Hyg., 1897, 25, p. 413. 3 Jour. Am. Med. Assoc., 1906, 46, p. 1407. 4 Deutsch. med. XVchnschr., 1904, 32, p. 1459.