Typhoid Fever: Pathogenesis and Immunologic Control

Contribution of Bacterial EndotoxinEndotoxin is obviously an important component of any gram-negative rod such as the typhoid bacillus. Vi antigen appears important in enhancing human virulence of typhoid strains. It is not as simple to define the importance of endotoxin since this substance has many biologic and pharmacologic activities. Attempts were made in the course of these investigations to gather information on the role of purified endotoxin in the pathogenesis of typhoid fever by quantitating the response to endotoxin's pyrogenic activity in volunteers with and without typhoid fever.When 0.25 µg of a purified endotoxin from S. typhosa was . . .