[The prostaglandin and cyclic nucleotide levels in the organs of mice with experimental anthrax intoxication]. / Uroven' prostaglandinov i tsiklicheskikh nukleotidov v organakh myshei pri éksperimental'noi sibireiazvennoi intoksikatsii.

In this work the influence of Bacillus anthracis toxin, introduced intraperitoneally in a dose of LD100, on the content of prostaglandins E and F2 alpha, 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, thromboxane, cAMP and cGMP in the lungs, heart, liver and spleen of BALB/c mice in the time course of experimental intoxication has been studied. The concentration and proportion of prostaglandins and cyclic nucleotides have been shown to undergo-sharp changes in all organs under study in the process of intoxication. The level and proportion of prostaglandins in the lungs ensures the development of vaso- and bronchodilatation processes even at early stages of the action of the toxin. B. anthracis toxin sharply increases the content of cGMP in the organs under study and cAMP in the liver. The activating effect on the adenylate cyclase system of tissue cells is not linked with the action of the edematous factor of the toxin. The role of cyclic nucleotides and prostaglandins in the development of pulmonary edema in intoxication with B. anthracis toxin is discussed.

[The assessment of antitoxic anti-anthrax immunity]. / Otsenka antitoksicheskogo protivosibireiazvennogo immuniteta.

In experiments on guinea pigs immunized with avirulent noncapsular strains STI, Sterne (34F2) and the avirulent mutant of Bacillus anthracis strain 228/8 the relationship between the titers of serum antibodies to the preparations of purified protective antigens (PA) and purified lethal factor (LF) of B. anthracis toxin and the level of the antitoxic activity (ATA) of blood sera, as well as acquired resistance, was analyzed. The ATA of sera was evaluated in the primary culture of peritoneal macrophages affected by the mixture of PA and LF. The level of relationship (r) between individual ATA values and the titers of antibodies to PA and LF was shown to vary over a wide range, depending on the group of the animals and did not exceed, on the average, 0.19-0.37. At the same time the mean values of these characteristics, followed in their dynamics depending on the immunogenic properties of vaccine strains or the time elapsed after vaccination, were highly correlated (r = 0.76-0.87). The possibility of using these characteristics for the evaluation of acquired resistance are discussed.