Abstract
Summary
The effects of staphylococcal enterotoxin on the sensitivity of the micro-vasculature of the rabbit meso-appendix to epinephrine was studied. Intravenous injection of even 0.2 μg/kg of the food poisoning toxin induced a significant increase in the vasoconstrictive effect of topically applied epinephrine within 3 hours, Maximum sensitivity occurred about 10 hours after toxin administration and persisted over 18 hours with toxin levels of 1 to 10 μg/kg. A rapidly developing state of hyporeactivity to epinephrine resulted from much larger enterotoxin challenges. Except for the much slower evolution of the state of increased responsiveness to epinephrine, these results are similar to those induced by bacterial endotoxin.
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