Enhanced toxicity of nervous system drugs for germ-free mice.
Germ-free mice were found to be more sensitive than conventional mice to poisoning by hemicholinium-3, hexamethonium chloride, strychnine sulfate, sodium pentobarbital, sodium barbital, and histamine diphosphate. On the other hand, conventional mice were more sensitive to atropine. No difference between germ-free and conventional mice was found in sensitivity to d-tubocurarine, metrazol, and picrotoxin. These findings raise a question as to the influence of exposure to microorganisms in the development of sensitivity to drugs acting on the nervous system.
Lamanna
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Army Research Office, Arlington, Virginia 22204.
Ward
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