[Occasional temperature rises following streptokinase infusions. Animal experiment findings]

The mechanism of the rises in temperature which have been observed in the clinic during long-term infusions with streptokinase (SK, Streptase-R) was clarified in animal experiments. After pyrogenic substances had been excluded as the possible cause of this side-effect and no rises in temperature in normal rabbits during SK infusions had been observed, this effect was imitated in animals immunised with SK. A clear fever reaction could be induced. Control experiments with rabbits which had been sensitised with human albumin, confirmed the hypothesis that the rise in body temperature is caused by anaphylactic fever. Neutralisation of the SK antibodies prevents the rise in temperature. Injecting high-titre gamma-globulin solution from animals immunised with SK, cannot suppress the fever reaction; this also applies to antihistamine (pheniramine-p-aminosalicylate) and hydrocortisone acetate therapy. During the lysis of thrombi induced by thrombin in the ear veins of rabbits, a rise in body temperature is obtained during the SK infusion and during treatment with a thrombolytic gel. Untreated control animals also showed the same rise in temperature during thrombolysis. The possibility that the fever reaction is set off by components of the dissolving thrombus is also discussed.