Serumtherapy of advanced botulism

Abstract

In the course of a series of investigations designed for the purpose of establishing the path of absorption of botulinus toxin in guinea pigs, a number of animals were kept under ether for the purpose of surgical manipulation. It was observed that in such animals death following the introduction of toxin was greatly delayed. Whereas normal guinea pigs of 350 grams given 50,000 minimal lethal doses 1 of botulinus toxin intraperitoneally show symptoms of dyspnea in one hour and invariably die in about two hours, guinea pigs similarly injected but put under ether anesthesia for two hours as soon as dyspnea occurs (i.e., one hour after the injection of toxin) will survive for four hours and by prolonging the period of anesthesia, the life of the animals can be correspondingly prolonged.

We thought that advantage could be taken of this delay in the rate of the progress of the intoxication under ether anesthesia to permit toxin antitoxin combination to take place. Two series of guinea pigs were given 50,000 minimal lethal doses of botulinus toxin per os. Guinea pigs thus fed show first symptoms of intoxication in about six hours and die in about twelve hours. After six hours the first series received antitoxin intravenously while the second series was given antitoxin in a similar manner but at the same time put under ether anesthesia which was continued for two hours. The pigs in the first series died in eighteen hours while those in the second series survived.

Further experiments are being carried out which attempt to gain an insight into the nature of the phenomenon, how far it can be applied with relation to other toxins and the effect of other anesthetics.