Sulfonamide Chemotherapy of Mouse Pneumonitis,Meningo-pneumonitis and Lymphogranuloma Venereum

Abstract

Within the last few years two new virus-like agents which form elementary bodies have been described. The first of these, the agent of meningo-pneumonitis, was isolated by Francis and Magill 1 from ferrets which had received nasal washings from humans with symptoms of grippe. The authors believed the agent to have been carried in their stock of ferrets. The second, the agent of mouse pneumonitis, was isolated by Nigg 2 from an apparently normal stock of Swiss mice. More recent papers have shown that both these agents are related to those of the lymphogranuloma venereumpsittacosis group. 3 , 4

It has been demonstrated that the agent of lymphogranuloma venereum is one of the very few viruses or virus-like agents which is susceptible to chemotherapy with the sulfonamide drugs. 5 , 6 Since two other members of this group, viz., the agents of psittacosis and the very closely related one of pneumonitis, 7 are said not to be affected by the sulfonamides, it was felt that this difference in susceptibility to the action of sulfonamide drugs might be of great importance, since it might offer a clue to the mode of action of these drugs. With this in mind studies were undertaken to determine the reaction of the two new agents to sulfathiazole and sulfadiazine, the drugs found to be most effective against lymphogranuloma venereum. 6

The results are shown in Table I. It will be seen from the experimental data with mice that both sulfathiazole and sulfadiazine were very effective against the agent of mouse pneumonitis. Both drugs, when mixed with the food (1% sulfathiazole or 0.1% sulfadiazine) were effective against at least 100 L_d 50 intranasal doses or 1 million intranasal infective doses.