The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 11, Issue 2 101-109, Copyright © 1978 by Society for General Microbiology
Experimental studies of the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection: evidence for the in-vivo production of a lethal toxin
D. D. Stieritz and I. A. Holder
Evidence is presented that a lethal toxin is produced by P. aeruginosa
growing in the burned skin of experimental mice. After injection of
approximately 100 P. aeruginosa cells into the burned skin there was a
rapid proliferation of organisms at the site of inoculation. When the
organisms in the burned skin tissue reached a critical concentration, there
was generalised toxaemia with subsequent mortality; the process was not
reversible at this stage, even by reducing substantially the numbers of
infecting organisms. However, when the reduction was accompanied by
administration of rabbit serum prepared against filter-sterilised extracts
of infected burned tissues, approximately 40% of the animals survived for
at least 96 h. The data suggests that the antiserum afforded protection by
inactivating a toxin produced by the organisms growing in the infected
burned tissues rather than by further reducing the numbers of infecting
organisms.
