Modification of lethality induced by staphylococcal enterotoxin B in Dutch rabbits.

Intramuscular injection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) at a dosage level of 50 microgram/kg of body weight caused death in Dutch rabbits. Lethality was not modified markedly by morphine pretreatment or by hyperthermia, thyrotoxicosis, propylthiouracil feeding, thyroparathyroidectomy, water deprivation, or fasting. The administration of acetylsalicylic acid to the SEB-inoculated rabbit also failed to protect the rabbits from the effect of SEB. Seemingly, the SEB molecular destruction was not markedly modified by alteration of cellular metabolism, and lethal effects of SEB remained unchanged in the morphine- or acetylsalicylic acid-treated rabbits. When SEB was given to six rabbits 3 days after total-body X-irradiation, fever persisted and three rabbits survived. An identical dose of SEB to nonirradiated rabbits produced fever initially, followed by hypothermia and death of all six rabbits.