Vitamin A Deficiency and Resistance against a Specific Infection. Preliminary Report

Abstract

Young normal rats are put on vitamin A-free diet and, after development of pronounced xerophthalmic symptoms, inoculated by mouth and by subcutaneous injection with Breslau bacilli (paratyphoid). The course of infection and bacteriological autopsy findings show a marked decrease in the resistance of these animals to this infection as compared with the findings in rats on adequate diet. The experiments do not show any change in the mechanism of infection in pronounced vitamin A deficiency.