Endotoxin-Induced Wasting Disease in Mice

Abstract

Summary

1. Bacterial endotoxin causes a loss of thymic lymphocytes and a change in thymic morphology regardless of the age or stage of development of the mouse. 2. Injection of endotoxin into neonatal mice every 3 days causes a temporarily stunted growth rate, as manifested by slower gain in total body weight than that seen in saline injected controls. 3. That the was ting-like syndrome induced by endotoxin is temporary appears to be due to the development of tolerance to the effect of endotoxin on the thymus.