Antagonism between the Actions of Staphylococcal Toxin and Tiger Snake Venom

Abstract

EARLY work on the mode of action of staphylococcal toxin showed that in rabbits it constricts the pulmonary and coronary blood vessels¹. More recently it was found that vascular spasm and alteration in capillary permeability are factors largely responsible for such characteristic toxic lesions as renal cortical necrosis and dermonecrosis in rabbits². Such effects are readily demonstrated when staphylococcal alpha toxin is injected subcutaneously into the mouse, and the animal is killed after an appropriate interval, if a solution of the dye, pontamine sky blue, has been injected intravenously a few minutes beforehand. In the centre of the lesion is seen an area, 10 mm. or more in diameter, which, although hyper-æmic, completely fails to stain; surrounding this central area which does not take the dye is a narrow zone stained an intense blue.