title: The effect of age and postsplenectomy interval on the susceptibility of the asplenic adult rat to pneumococcal challenge.
abstract: The response to intravenous challenge with pneumococcus was examined in asplenic and sham-operated adult Sprague-Dawley rats eighteen weeks following surgery. The LD50 was over 2,0000 fold greater in the sham-operated animals than in the asplenic animals. These results suggest that the age of an asplenic host, the length of time following splenectomy, and the presence of a normal immune system other than the asplenic state do not in themselves confer immunity.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D051381:Rats; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial