Studies on Epidemic Influenza: Comprising Clinical and Laboratory InvestigationsUniversity of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine
History
Studies on Epidemic Influenza: Comprising Clinical and Laboratory Investigations
University of Pittsburgh. School of Medicine
Influenza; Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919
Agglutination tests were carried out with the sera of 14 convalescents
and 3 normal individuals. A polyvalent emulsion of strains of the
influenza bacillus isolated from our cases was used. The results are
shown in Table III. Tubes were incubated at 37.5° C. The results did not
indicate anything in the nature of a specific reaction. Dr. Frost
carried out this work during the height of the epidemic, but we were
unable to continue it further. A short review of the work of others will
be found near the end of this paper. Miss Thompson and Mr. Mock studied
complement fixation, using the sera of 15 convalescents against an
antigen of B. influenzæ. Their results were negative. The antigen
appeared to be slightly more anti-complementary than were emulsions of
staphylococcus or B. coli. Huntoon also noted this anti-complementary
character of emulsions of B. influenzæ.
Attempts were made to estimate the amount of complement present in the
fresh blood serum of influenza patients. The technique was to use a 1-4
dilution of the patient’s serum, adding measured amounts of this to a 1
per cent. blood emulsion, with 1 unit of amboceptor and determine the
smallest amount necessary to bring about complete hemolysis. This test
was carried out on eight patients ill for only a few days. The average
amount of the dilute serum was 0.181 c.cm. Fifteen patients,
convalescent after a moderate illness, gave an average of 0.276 c.cm.
Two patients seriously ill with temperatures of 104.3° F. and 105° F.
required 0.4 c.cm. to bring about complete hemolysis. We would not like
to draw any very definite conclusions where we are dealing with such
small fractional differences. This lessening of complement has been
noted in other infectious diseases and may be important in the questions
of immunity in influenza. Dr. Frost carried out a number of cutaneous
tests after the method of Von Pirquet, using a polyvalent, weakly
alkaline emulsion of influenza bacilli in 25 per cent. glycerin. Eleven
convalescents were tested and none of them showed any local or general
reaction. The suggestion that these results may indicate an increase in
resistance is discussed in another place. A number of strains of
pneumococci which we had isolated from our autopsy cases were
differentiated by the agglutination method. Type I was found 3 times;
type II, 10 times; type IV, 9 times. Four showed agglutination with both
type I and type II sera. Type IV pneumococcus was isolated in one case
from the right and left bronchus as well as the lung. In another case
the same type pneumococcus was recovered from the lung and pleural
fluid. These results are similar to those found by numerous workers.
_The Hemophilic Bacteria_
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