[Morphological study of the effect of cholera toxin on germ-free animals]

The effect of purified cholera toxin and the O-antigen of Vibrio cholerae inoculated separately into the intestines of germ-free suckling rabbits on the structure of the viscera and enzymatic changes in them was studied. The purified cholera toxin exerted mostly a local effect on the intestinal tract but caused lesions in the lymphoid tissue. The O-antigen was toxic causing primarily lesions in the liver and kidneys. Crude cholera toxin exerted a complex effect on gnotobiotic rabbits typical of the cholerogen and O-antigen.