Attempts to Produce Acute Glomerulonephritis in Rabbits with the Peritoneal Lysate of Streptococcus Scarlatinae

In an attempt to repeat the work of Duval and Hibbard on experimental production of acute glomerulonephritis in rabbits we were unable to produce in the peritoneal cavity of immune rabbits a sterile bacteriolysate containing the alleged endotoxic principle of scarlatinal streptococci. Rabbits given intravenous injection of the filtered or centrifugalized peritoneal fluid of previously immunized rabbits which were given an intraperitoneal mass dose of homologous scarlatinal streptococci 2 to 3 hours before the peritoneal fluid was drawn, did not show symptoms of toxemia. At necropsy the kidneys of some of these rabbits had lesions resembling some of the lesions described by Duval and Hibbard and which they claimed to be the result of acute glomerulonephritis of the scarlet fever type. However, similar lesions were observed by us in the kidneys of normal healthy rabbits and rabbits given injection with bacterial suspensions other than scarlatinal streptococci. None of our rabbits showed lesions typical of scarlet fever nephritis.