Summary
The possibility of a synergistic effect between immune factors and ampicillin against bacterial infections has been investigated in mice infected intraperitoneally withEscherichia coli. Following active immunization against the O antigen, synergy between the specific immune factors arising and ampicillin was observed provided that the animals were not infected until the antibodies were formed, i. e. four days after immunization. If the animals were infected three days after immunization, i. e. before the antibodies were detectable, no such synergistic effect could be seen. Injection of mice with rabbitE. coli O antibodies four hours prior to infection and subsequent treatment with ampicillin resulted in enhanced protection of the animals, compared to that observed with antibodies or ampicillin alone. Furthermore, one rabbit antiserum out of three raised against the capsular K antigen also showed a synergistic protective effect with ampicillin. The results suggest that antibodies may have a beneficial effect on the treatment of infections with a bactericidal drug such as ampicillin, but that the biological significance of these antibodies has to be further elucidated. In contrast, stimulation of the immune defence system with serologically unrelatedE. coli bacteria without increase of homologous antibodies, does not appear to enhance bacterial killing by ampicillin.
Zusammenfassung
Zur Beurteilung eines möglichen synergistischen Effektes von Immunfaktoren und Ampicillin wurden intraperitoneal mitEscherichia coli infizierte Mäuse als Modell benutzt. Aktive Immunisierung gegen das O-Antigen ergab einen gewissen Synergismus der gebildeten Immunfaktoren mit Ampicillin, vorausgesetzt, die Tiere wurden erst nach der Bildung von Antikörpern, d. h. vier Tage nach Immunisierung, infiziert. Wurden die Tiere drei Tage nach der Immunisierung infiziert, d. h. bevor Antikörper meßbar nachweisbar waren, so war keine derartige synergistische Wirkung festzustellen. WurdenE. coli-O-Antikörper vom Kaninchen Mäusen vier Stunden vor der Infektion und der Penicillinbehandlung gegeben, so ergab sich eine gesteigerte Schutzwirkung im Vergleich zu der Wirkung je von Antikörpern oder Ampicillin allein. Ferner zeigte eines von drei Kaninchen-Antiseren gegen das K-Kapselantigen ebenfalls einen synergistischen Effekt mit Ampicillin. Aus diesen Ergebnissen war zu schließen, daß Antikörper eine günstige Wirkung auf die Behandlung von Infektionen mit Bakteriziden wie z. B. Ampicillin haben könnten, daß aber die biologische Funktion dieser Antikörper näher geklärt werden müßte. Eine Stimulierung des Immunabwehrsystems mit serologisch nichtverwandtenE. coli-Stämmen ohne die Erzeugung homologer Antikörper dürfte dagegen die Bakterizidie durch Ampicillin nicht verstärken.
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Ahlstedt, S., Kaijser, B. Synergistic protective effect of antibodies and ampicillin in mice infected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli. Infection 6 (Suppl 1), S86–S90 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01646074
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01646074