Since almost all patients suffering from acute hematogenous osteomelitis, due to Staph. aureus, are under 20 year old, it may be assumed that the host-parasite relationships, between the young and actively growing bodies and the organisms, might be somewhat different from the ones prevailed in the adult bodies. And it is also known that the administration of various hormones may produce significant influ￢ences upon the susceptibity and resistance of host.
It was thought worthwile to study the host reactions to the introduction of organisms and the effects of cortisone or prehormone administration to the infected animals.
Thus, ca. 5 X 10´ viable cells of Staph. aureus were inoculated i. v. into young rabbits, weighing 1-1.5 kg. , of around 2 months old. The number of viable units of Staph. aureus were followed in the circulating blood and urine of the inoculated animals with or without treatment of cortisone or prehormone.
The results of observations might be summerized as follows:
1. The organisms were removed rapidly from the circulating blood of infected rabbits without treatment. 2. The number of viable units increased more or less slowly, peak being three to eight days after inoculation, in the urine of infected rabbits without treatment.
3. In the of infected rabbits with daily administration of cortisone, small number of organisms could be cultured throughout the 17 days of observation.
4. The number of viable units in the urine of infected rabbits with daily adminstration of cortisone showed significant increase upon the onset of cortisone administration and then decreased slowly.
5. Prehormone administration appeared to produced no significant influence on the number or viable
stapylococci in the blood and urine of infected rabbits.
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