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Alteration of the Pathogenicity of Pasteurella pneumotropica for the Murine Lung Caused by Changes in Pulmonary Antibacterial Activity

^a Channing Laboratory, Department of Medical Bacteriology, Thorndike Memorial Laboratory, and Second and Fourth (Harvard) Medical Services, Boston City Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
Departments of Medicine, and Bacteriology and Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02118

ABSTRACT

Pasteurella pneumotropica is a potential pulmonary pathogen in mice. In healthy animals, this organism was killed rapidly by the normal function of the intrapulmonary phagocytic defense mechanisms. Impairment of this bactericidal activity by the acute renal failure of nephrectomy resulted in multiplication of the Pasteurella in the lung, both when the animals were nephrectomized first and then infected, and when the animals were infected first and nephrectomized several hours after the infection. The study demonstrates that the pathogenicity of the Pasteurella organisms is governed by the functional state of these pulmonary antibacterial mechanisms.

¹ Fellow of the American Thoracic Society, National Tuberculosis Association.