The effect of a bacterial vaccine on tumors and the immune response of ICR/Ha mice.

This study examined the effect of mixed bacterial vaccine (MBV), a biological response modifier prepared from Streptococcus pyogenes and Serratia marcescens, on the immune system of mice and on the regression of a transplantable mouse tumor sarcoma 37. The study examined MBV's biological properties and analyzed its chemical composition. The chemical composition varied with the growth media. A typical centrifuged, dialyzed supernate of the serum-containing preparation was found to consist mainly of protein and minimal amounts of carbohydrate and endotoxin, while MBV made with synthetic medium contained similar amounts of all three. MBV was nontoxic for mice, which gained weight following the injection of 0.5-1.0 ml of MBV. MBV caused regression of 20-100% of well-established mouse tumors without appreciable toxicity. MBV also had a striking effect on the immune response of mice to sheep red blood cells. When administered simultaneously with antigen injection, MBV increased the number of antibody-secreting splenocytes measured by the plaque-forming assay threefold. Serum antibody levels also increased two- to threefold. MBV did not enhance the immune response to pneumococcal polysaccharide type III, a B-cell-dependent response. However, the in vivo administration of MBV increased the in vitro response to MBV and the B-cell mitogen lipopolysaccharide. MBV compares favorably with other biological response modifiers because of its enhancing effect on the immune response and its oncolytic properties at nontoxic levels.

Effect of cocaine on the immune response and host resistance in BALB/c mice.

This study focuses on the effect of varying regimens of cocaine administration on three parameters of the immune response: antibody production, resistance to infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae following immunization, and resistance to tumors. The effect of cocaine on antibody production of female and male BALB/c mice was investigated to both a T-independent (pneumococcal polysaccharide type III [SSS-III]) and a T-dependent antigen (the 2,4-dinitrophenyl ligand [DNP]). It was found that high doses of cocaine injected 3 times/day prior to SSS-III resulted in a small rise in antibody levels in male mice. Low doses given for 4 days prior to or subsequent to SSS-III injection had no effect on the antibody response nor on the susceptibility to infection by live S. pneumoniae. High dosages of cocaine administered 3-5 times/day had no effect on the anti-DNP immune response of male mice but resulted in an almost 2-fold increase of anti-DNP plaque-forming cells in female mice.

Incidence of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in penile lesions of college men.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) was isolated from penile lesions of 15 college men. Using (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine sensitivity, monoclonal antibody immunofluorescence, and restriction endonuclease EcoRI digestion of viral DNA, 4 of 15 (26%) isolates were found to be HSV-1, and 11 of 15 (74%) isolates were found to be HSV-2. It is likely that some of the genital HSV-1 infections are related to oral genital contact, but this fact could not be established for all cases, since the females in this group had previously been shown to have a high incidence of genital HSV-1.