Abstract
Human serum has no complement for gonococci (Scaltritti 1 ). This fact gives us a new viewpoint in the treatment of gonorrhoeal and blenorrhoeal conditions. With the expectation of a mild reaction I (Pribram) tried this treatment in a 4-year-old girl who had a gonorrhoic infection for 4 weeks. I introduced a few drops of a fresh animal serum into the urethra and the vestibulum of the vagina. The discharge became abundant the next day. The microscopic inspection revealed pus cells filled with gonococci. I stopped the treatment in this case and continued with an argyrol salve in the usual way. The first attempt showed that we are able to induce an acute exacerbation of a subchronic gonorrhoeal process by means of the application of fresh animal serum. Besides this it became evident that the serum had a strong chemotactic action on human phagocytes and increased their opsonic index.
The further investigations were carried on by Dr. Jonas on male adults with acute and chronic gonorrhoeal affections. The method consisted in a very cautious instillation of a few cubic centimeters of fresh animal serum into the urethra. The serum was allowed to remain in the urethra for a few minutes. The discharge, absent or very poor in chronic cases, became abundant and showed many phagocytized gonococci. It disappeared after 1 to 3 days almost completely. We had the opportunity to treat 2 patients with a fresh, hitherto untreated gonorrhoea. No other treatment than the local application of fresh animal serum on 5 successive days was instituted in this case. The abundant discharge of phagocytosis following the treatment stopped completely after the instillation of the serum had been discontinued.
Further studies will be necessary in order to state exact quantities of the complement which have to be used, furthermore the most effective serum species must be determined and the number of instillations which are necessary for a complete cure.
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