Locus of Biochemical Change in Mice dying from Staphylococcal Infection

Abstract

RECENT advances in investigating the mechanism of staphylococcal infection in mice indicate that host carbohydrate metabolism is profoundly involved. When measurements are made in the blood of mice close to death from an intraperitoneal challenge with staphylococci there is a rise in inorganic phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and transaminase and a fall in sodium. Less definite falls occur in sugar, cholesterol and serum carbon dioxide¹. The validity of these findings was further tested by comparing the chemical composition of the carcass at death from intraperitoneal staphylococcal infection with normal controls. A profound fall in glucose with a rise in inorganic phosphorus was found. There was also a fall in total protein and cholesterol and a rise in transaminase².