IMMUNE SERUM PROPHYLAXIS IN EXPERIMENTAL RABIES I. INFECTION WITH FIXED VIRUS

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There is no specific treatment for rabies once the disease has developed. Rabies is a peculiar disease, however, because of its known exposure to the infection and of the possible protective treatment during its incubation period. At present, the prophylactic treatment after exposure is mainly performed by the use of various types of vaccine, taking the advantage of its longer incubation period. But, this treatment is not always perfect to prevent development of the disease, especially when bitten on the face by a rabid animal. Further, postvaccinal paralysis occurs in a few cases. Improvement of the vaccine and some other antirabic treatment should be studied to eliminate these defects. Fe-investigation of the effect of antirabies hyperimmune sera including the use of concentrated and fractionated sera will be of some value, as it is practicable, when human beings are exposed to the infection, to initiate the treatment in relatively earlier stage of its incubation peried.
The studies on protective effects of rabies antiserum have been performed by many workers since many years ago. As the historical summaries of this problem are found in many papers by these authors, it is considered unnecessary to describe them in details. The opinion, such as concluded by Marie, that the infected animals cannot be protected by injections of the antirabies sera, was accepted by many workers in old times, although Fermi (1) has reported on the effective antiserum treatment. Thereafter, Proca et al, Hoyt et al, and Yaoi et a1 reported on this problem, and recognized, though varying in grades, the effectiveness of antirabies serum.
Recently, Habel performed detailed experiments on antiserum treatment in which monkeys, guinea pigs and mice were used. He reported that antiserum treatment was more effective than vaccine treatment and that the infected mice were protected when antiserum was used within 3 days after the virus inoculation. Koprowski et al, furthermore, treated guinea pigs and hamsters with the antiserum fraction prepared by dialysis and also described about the application on infected human cases.
Thus, recently many reports have been made recognizing the protective value of the antiserum treatment against rabies infection, though generally they were not accepted according to the papers of old times. Descriptions on virulence of the inoculated virus and antibody titers of the antirabies serum used, however, were incomplete in the majority of those reports. Particular attention was paid on this point in the present paper.
The report herewith is the results obtained from the antiserum treatment after the infection with fixed virus. Experiments on serum treatment after the infection with street virus are undergoing at present and a separate report will be made later on.