The Treatment of Furunculosis and Other Staphylococcal Lesions by Staphylococcal Toxoid

THE discovery that many strainis of staphylococci produce a toxini (Neisser and XVNlechsberg, 19011; Kraus anid Pibream, 19062; Parker, 19243; and Burnet, 19294) has thrown fresh light on the problem of the treatment of staphylococcal lesions. From staphylococcal toxin, Panton, Valentine, and Dix (1931)5 successfully prepared staphylococcal toxoid. In 1933 Parish6 found that staphylococcal toxoid was innocuous to laboratory animals and was an efficient immunizing agent, causing an inicrease in the circulating antibody. Parish, O'Meara, and Clarke7 published the results of further investigations in 1934. They found that the sera of numerous laboratory animals ancd human subjects contained appreciable amounts of natural anti-toxin. Staphylococcal toxoid w^as first used clinically in the treatment of staphylococcal lesions by Panton and Valentine (1932)8, and by Dolmani (1933).9 The results they obtained were suffcientlv encouraging to iniduce other wvorkers to investigate its effect in the treatment of various lesions (lue to the staphylococcus. Among these were ConnorlO in AXustralia, Dolman9 in Cania(da, anld 1K. S. Murrayll in England. Their results, basedl oIn the treatment of a large number of cases, made it evident that in staphylococcal toxoid, a rational and reasonably successful method has been made available for the treatmenit of the chronic anid resistant infections due to this organism. The series of observations on wx,hich this article is based was begull in December, 1934, andl since then ninety-eight cases have been treate(d.