title: A possible mechanism of fever induced by Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (N-CWS) in experimental animals.
abstract: The characteristics of fever elicited by the cell wall skeleton of Nocardia rubra (N-CWS) and by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were compared in rabbits, and the possible involvement of the antigenicity of N-CWS was investigated in guinea pigs. In rabbits, fever of more than 0.5 degree C developed after an intravenous (i.v.) injection of 10 micrograms/kg or more of N-CWS, and was monophasic with 30-100 micrograms/kg but biphasic with the highest dose of 300 micrograms/kg. LPS elicited fever with similar characteristics at doses of 0.01-0.1 microgram/kg. With both compounds, the fever was inhibited by indomethacin. Tolerance to N-CWS and LPS appeared after dosing with 30 or 0.1 micrograms/kg, respectively for 10 d. In guinea pigs sensitized with N-CWS, challenge with 1 or 10 micrograms/kg of N-CWS 10 d later, which did not induce fever in the nonsensitized animals, caused fever of more than 0.5 degree C, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) appeared. N-CWS also elicited fever in nonsensitized guinea pigs bearing N-CWS-sensitized lymphocytes or anti-N-CWS antibody; the fever was higher in the guinea pigs sensitized with the lymphocytes than in those with the anti-N-CWS antibody. In brief, single injections of N-CWS and of LPS elicited fever with similar characteristics, although the potency of N-CWS was weaker. With N-CWS, the fever is proposed to be triggered by the antigenicity of the compound itself, because doses as low as 1 or 10 micrograms/kg elicited fever along with immunological response in N-CWS-sensitized animals, but not in nonsensitized ones.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujitsu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tensho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017358:Cell Wall Skeleton; D005334:Fever / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D009088:Mucoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009615:Nocardia / Q000032:analysis*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D017358:Cell Wall Skeleton; D009088:Mucoproteins; C044553:cell wall skeleton, Nocardia