Abstract
Previously, one of the authors (J. A. T.) had demonstrated what was thought to be a toxic factor in the stools of patients ill with poliomyelitis. 1 Was this factor also present in animals experimentally infected with poliomyelitis virus?
Stool specimens were first collected from 10 Macacus rhesus monkeys, and the animals were then injected, under complete anesthesia, intracerebrally with potent poliomyelitis virus. Stools were again collected after poliomyelitis had set in. The specimens of feces were dried in vacuo, weighed, ground and enough normal saline solution was added to the powdered feces to make a 10 to 20% suspension. This was then passed through a linen cloth to remove gross particles and debris.
Young rabbits weighing 1 to 1 1/2 pounds were etherized, the spinal cord and connections were severed in the region of the tenth thoracic segment, an opening was made, under complete anesthesia, into the peritoneal cavity as described by Sollmann, 2 the intestines were exposed, a cannula connected with a Marriotte bottle attached to the small intestine about 6 inches from the ileocecal valve and the material was introduced into the lumen of the intestine in quantities of 10 cc. This procedure gave a partial spinal animal with nerves and blood vessels intact as far as the piece of gut experimented upon was concerned. The pouch was filled with liquid paraffine at 38°C. The intestinal activity was recorded by a lever connected with the intestinal wall by a silk thread attached to a serrefine.
Ten of the 10 stool suspensions obtained before the injection of the poliomyelitis virus acted as irritants and caused an increase in the number and strength of peristaltic waves. One of the injected animals did not contract poliomyelitis.
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