Toxicity of cecal filtrates from guinea pigs with penicillin-associated colitis.
Lethal enterocolitis was induced in guinea pigs by intramuscular injection of penicillin. The presence of filterable toxic substance in the cecal contents of penicillin-treated guinea pigs was demonstrated. The toxin was heat-labile and produced enterosorption activity in rabbit intestinal loops and morphologic changes in Y-1 adrenal cell cultures. The cecal filtrates were lethal for mice when injected intraperitoneally and lethal for guinea pigs when injected intraperitoneally or intracecally. Cecal filtrates from saline-treated guinea pigs were not lethal to experimental animals. Filtrates prepared from broth cultures of cecal contents from penicillin or saline-treated guinea pigs also showed the presence of a lethal toxic substance. The study demonstrated that bacteremia is minimal, nonspecific and probably a terminal event in penicillin-associated deaths in guinea pigs.
D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D002432:Cecum / Q000032:analysis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003092:Colitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D051379:Mice; D010406:Penicillins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
D010406:Penicillins; D014118:Toxins, Biological