Prophylactic penicillin has been recommended for use in asplenic patients and postsplenectomy patients. A laboratory model using aerosolized pneumococci has been devised to test the effectiveness of prophylactic penicillin in a manner analogous to human experience. There is increased mortality, over time, in asplenic mice exposed to aerosolized type III Streptococcus pneumoniae. One hundred twenty-one male Swiss mice (mean weight 26 g) were divided into four groups: splenectomized, sham-operated, splenectomized + penicillin, and sham- operated + penicillin. After 2 wk the four groups were exposed for 30 min to an aerosolized atmosphere of 2.4 x 10(9) colony-forming units of type III S. pneumoniae using a Tri-R model A-42 airborne infection apparatus. Penicillin was given at a daily intramuscular dosage of 40,000 units procaine penicillin G beginning 2 days prior to exposure and continuing through the third day after exposure. The splenectomized and sham-operated mice given penicillin showed significantly lower mortality (p less than 0.001) than mice not given penicillin.
Splenosis has been shown to occur after traumatic injury to the spleen. It is postulated that this is the mechanism for the low incidence of bacterial infection in this group of patients when compared to those who undergo splenectomy for other reasons. Therefore, we studied the effect of exposure to an aerosolized suspension of type III Streptococcus pneumoniae on splenectomized mice who had either all or half of their splenic tissue cut up and reimplanted into the abdominal cavity 8 wk prior to bacterial exposure. It was determined that the mortality experience of these two groups of mice was similar to each other and no different from the sham control group, although all three groups had a statistically significant lower mortality experience than the splenectomized control group. This study demonstrates that splenosis in mice can protect against aerosolized bacterial infection.
Prophylactic penicillin has been recommended for use in asplenic patients and postsplenectomy patients. A laboratory model using aerosolized pneumococci has been devised to test the effectiveness of prophylactic penicillin in a manner analogous to human experience. There is increased mortality, over time, in asplenic mice exposed to aerosolized type III Streptococcus pneumoniae. One hundred twenty-one male Swiss mice (mean weight 26 g) were divided into four groups: splenectomized, sham-operated, splenectomized + penicillin, and sham- operated + penicillin. After 2 wk the four groups were exposed for 30 min to an aerosolized atmosphere of 2.4 x 10(9) colony-forming units of type III S. pneumoniae using a Tri-R model A-42 airborne infection apparatus. Penicillin was given at a daily intramuscular dosage of 40,000 units procaine penicillin G beginning 2 days prior to exposure and continuing through the third day after exposure. The splenectomized and sham-operated mice given penicillin showed significantly lower mortality (p less than 0.001) than mice not given penicillin.
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