Inhibition of histamine death in pertussis-inoculated mice by cortisone and neoantergan

Cortisone inhibited the lethal effects of both histamine and H. pertussis vaccine in pertussis-inoculated mice. Cortisone also protected uninoculated mice from toxic death due to H. pertussis vaccine. The antihistamine, Neoantergan, protected pertussis-sensitized mice from the lethal effects of histamine but not from fatal amounts of H. pertussis vaccine. The advantages of using pertussis-inoculated, histamine-sensitive mice rather than guinea pigs in the screening of compounds which might be active against histamine are discussed.