Abstract
The property of sodium ricinoleate to neutralize bacterial toxins and destroy the pathogenicity of some of the pathogenic bacteria has been emphasized in a series of papers published from this laboratory. 1 , 2 , 3 The present paper concerns the effect of sodium ricinoleate upon the pathogenic and antigenic properties of the pneumococcus and streptococcus scarlatinæ.
If a solution of sodium ricinoleate is added to a virulent culture of the pneumococcus, so that the final dilution of soap is 0.1 per cent, the micro-organism loses its pathogenicity instantly. Ten cc. or more of such a culture may be injected into rabbits intraperitoneally without ill effects. Twenty-four hours after such an injection, large amounts of agglutinins are present in the blood stream. Following such treatment, the animals resist many lethal doses of pneumococci. The serum of rabbits thus immunized protects normal rabbits against intraperitoneal and intravenous infections.
We have studied the effect of sodium ricinoleate upon one strain of streptococcus scarlatinæ. It loses its power to grow upon culture media in less than five minutes when treated with 0.5 per cent sodium ricinoleate. Streptococci so treated with soap produce agglutinins in rabbits within twenty-four hours following intraperitoneal injection.
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