Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1992 Sep;45(9):799–801. doi: 10.1136/jcp.45.9.799

Lethal synergistic action of toxins of bacteria isolated from sudden infant death syndrome.

D B Drucker 1, H S Aluyi 1, J A Morris 1, D R Telford 1, A Gibbs 1
PMCID: PMC495108  PMID: 1401211

Abstract

AIM: To test the hypothesis that lethal toxins of bacteria associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) can act synergistically. METHODS: Bacteria occurring together in the nasopharynx of cases of cot death were studied. The lethal toxicity of crude toxin preparations was determined over a range of dilutions by injections into the chorioallantoic vein of the chick embryo. Toxin preparations of low lethality for the chick embryo SIDS model were then tested in combination. RESULTS: Staphylococcus aureus toxin preparations showed low lethality when tested alone, even at low dilution. At 1 in 100 dilution S aureus toxin was lethal to one out of 15 chick embryos. Escherichia coli toxin preparations showed high lethality except on high dilution (1 in 80) when lethality fell to two out of 15 of chick embryos. When the same toxin preparations were tested simultaneously in combination, lethality rose to 14 out of 15. Similar findings were observed over a range of toxin dilutions. This finding was highly significant (p = 0.0012). CONCLUSIONS: That synergy between toxins can enhance the lethality of toxins elaborated by bacteria associated with SIDS.

Full text

PDF
799

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnon S. S. Breast feeding and toxigenic intestinal infections: missing links in crib death? Rev Infect Dis. 1984 Mar-Apr;6 (Suppl 1):S193–S201. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bettelheim K. A., Goldwater P. N., Dwyer B. W., Bourne A. J., Smith D. L. Toxigenic Escherichia coli associated with sudden infant death syndrome. Scand J Infect Dis. 1990;22(4):467–476. doi: 10.3109/00365549009027079. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dawson D. W., Fish D. I., Frew I. D., Roome T., Tilston I. Laboratory diagnosis of megaloblastic anaemia: current methods assessed by external quality assurance trials. J Clin Pathol. 1987 Apr;40(4):393–397. doi: 10.1136/jcp.40.4.393. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Eichhorn E. A. A TECHNIQUE FOR THE INTRAVENOUS INOCULATION OF CHICK EMBRYOS. Science. 1940 Sep 13;92(2385):245–246. doi: 10.1126/science.92.2385.245. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jakeman K. J., Rushton D. I., Smith H., Sweet C. Exacerbation of bacterial toxicity to infant ferrets by influenza virus: possible role in sudden infant death syndrome. J Infect Dis. 1991 Jan;163(1):35–40. doi: 10.1093/infdis/163.1.35. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jakeman K. J., Smith H., Sweet C. Influenza virus enhancement of membrane leakiness induced by staphylococcal alpha toxin, diphtheria toxin and streptolysin S. J Gen Virol. 1991 Jan;72(Pt 1):111–115. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-72-1-111. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. McKendrick N., Drucker D. B., Morris J. A., Telford D. R., Barson A. J., Oppenheim B. A., Crawley B. A., Gibbs A. Bacterial toxins: a possible cause of cot death. J Clin Pathol. 1992 Jan;45(1):49–53. doi: 10.1136/jcp.45.1.49. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Milner A. D. Recent theories on the cause of cot death. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Nov 28;295(6610):1366–1368. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6610.1366. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Morris J. A., Haran D., Smith A. Hypothesis: common bacterial toxins are a possible cause of the sudden infant death syndrome. Med Hypotheses. 1987 Feb;22(2):211–222. doi: 10.1016/0306-9877(87)90145-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sonnabend O. A., Sonnabend W. F., Krech U., Molz G., Sigrist T. Continuous microbiological and pathological study of 70 sudden and unexpected infant deaths: toxigenic intestinal clostridium botulinum infection in 9 cases of sudden infant death syndrome. Lancet. 1985 Feb 2;1(8423):237–241. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)91025-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Telford D. R., Morris J. A., Hughes P., Conway A. R., Lee S., Barson A. J., Drucker D. B. The nasopharyngeal bacterial flora in the sudden infant death syndrome. J Infect. 1989 Mar;18(2):125–130. doi: 10.1016/s0163-4453(89)91094-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Williams A. L., Uren E. C., Bretherton L. Respiratory viruses and sudden infant death. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 May 19;288(6429):1491–1493. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6429.1491. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES