Anaphylaxis With Water Soluble Specific Substance from Yeast-Like Fungi.

Abstract

Most fungi including yeast-like forms such as Monilia, are known to possess slight antigenic power. On the other hand, the clinical symptoms manifested in certain fungous infections suggest that hypersensitivity may play a rôle in such infections. It would, therefore, seem reasonable to assume that the antigenic and sensitizing properties of the fungi may represent 2 different biological faculties not necessarily associated with each other. The present experiment has been conducted to find some evidence in support of this view.

The fungi used were Monilia psilosis, Monilia pinoyi and Saccharomyces. Water soluble specific substances of sufficient activity in precipitation and passive anaphylaxis tests and free from antigenic power were prepared from each strain of organisms using the alkaline method. 1 For active sensitization of guinea pigs heatkilled cultures of the fungi were used. All 3 organisms were grown upon Sabouraud glucose agar for 48 hours, both monilia being kept at 37°C. and Saccharomyces at room temperature. The growth was then washed off with normal saline, 10 cc. of which was used for each agar slant, and heated to 75°C. for 30 minutes before use for injections. Each dose was equal to 1/10 of an agar slant suspended in 1 cc. of saline and injected intraperitoneally.

In order to determine the number of injections necessary for effective sensitization of guinea pigs, a series of these animals, 4-5 in number, received one, 2 or 3 injections respectively of the heat killed fungus cultures. At the end of 2 weeks all animals were tested for hypersensitivity by giving them intravenous injections of the homologous specific substance from 0.5 to 4 mg. dissolved in one cc. of normal saline.

It was found that both monilia cultures produced active sensitization of guinea pigs as evidenced by the typical anaphylactic shock resulting from injection of the specific substance. In those instances in which the shock ended fatally a marked distension of the lung occurred.