[Effect of levamisole on white mice and on the immunological reactivity of guinea pigs]

Investigations were carried out on the protective action of therapeutic doses of levamisole (Pharmachim) on mice with a LD100 Salmonella gallinarum infection. Studied was also the effect of levamisole on the immunologic response of guinea pigs infected with Salmonella cholerae suis. It was found that therapeutic amounts of 3 mg/kg levamisole applied to mice following respective patterns protected them against a lethal dose of S. gallinarum. The animals showed enhanced resistance to the infection--20 to 50 per cent of them survived as against 100 per cent mortality with the controls. The guinea pigs showed upon treatment with levamisole certain changes with some of the factors of unspecific response--enhanced phagocytic and lysozyme activity as judged by the development of infection with a S. cholerae suis culture. At the same time the agglutinin titer that substantiated the immunologic response was negligibly changed as compared to the controls. On the base of the results obtained an attempt was made to elucidate the mechanism of the protective action of levamisole.