Observations on the opsonic index and the antipneumococcal power of the blood in pneumonia / Herman E. Wolf.

  • Wolf, Herman E.
Date:
[1906]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Observations on the opsonic index and the antipneumococcal power of the blood in pneumonia / Herman E. Wolf. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    greater than is apparent from the study of the opsonic curve only. If each leucocyte in normal serum takes up 4 pneumococci and there are 4,200 such polynuclear leucocytes per c.mm. of normal blood, we may consider that 4,200X4 = 16,800 organisms might be taken up in each c. mm. of blood. If 3 pneumococci are taken up by each pneumonic leucocyte in pneumonic serum during the negative phase and there are 18,700 leucocytes per c.mm., the total number of organisms taken up will be 3X18,700 = 56,100, which would repre- sent the entire antipneumococcic power of 1 c.mm. of pneumonic CHART 1. Pneumococco-Opsonic Index in Typical Pneumonia Ending in Crisis. Temper- ature Leuco- cytosis Opsonic Index 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 s 9 10 • 11 126,coo 2.25 — - 22,000 2.00 t 1 \ 104.6 18,000 1-75 / \ 102.6 14,000 1.50 H ; / l / • / ' A \ /] \ 100.6 10,000 1.25 ! 1 ! 1 V V \) \ 98.6 6,000 I OO 1 / 1/ 1 .0 y*j — — - - - — o-75 \ c *0 ) c •c O. 50 £5 9 O § .2 | 0.25 O a* O 6. Opsonin index. Leucocytes. Temperature. blood. It is therefore readily seen that although the pneumococco- opsonic index of pneumonic blood may be below normal early in pneumonia, the antipneumococcal power of the same may be 3^ times the normal, assuming of course that the opsonin present is sufficient to opsonize the quota of pneumococci necessary. It is noteworthy that Rosenow’s1 observations upon the role of polymor- phonuclear leucocytes in the pneumococcidal action of human blood in vitro go to support the view here taken. 1 Jour. Infect. Dis., 1906, 3, p. 683.