Peroral infection of fasted and cortisone treated mice with Corynebacterium kutscheri (Japanese)

Abstract

Fatal infection was established in mice fasted for 24 hours and then inoculated perorally with 5 x 108 organisms of Corynebacterium kutscheri and treated with 5 mg cortisone. After inoculation the mice showed a marked loss of body weight and died in 5 to 10 days. The liver was markedly enlarged with a number of abscesses and adherent to the neighbouring tissues. Occasionally, the spleen showed swelling with some nodular caseous foci. All lymph nodes in the peritoneal cavity with enlarged with abscesses, and turbid ascites were seen in a few cases. Small abscesses were present also in the lung and kidneys of some especially of those which survived for a long time after infection. There were calcified lesions and rarely purulent foci in the heart muscle and pericardium. Organisms were recovered from the liver of all cases examined after 2 days of infection, but in most cases the lung and kidney became positive only after 4 days of infection. (15 references.)