Treatment of experimental Escherichia coli infection in mice with colicine V.

Concentrated non-toxic preparations of colicine V were obtained by filtering centrifugates of soft-agar cultures of a Col V+ K12 strain of E. coli through Millipore filters in which the colicine V was retained. These preparations, given subcutaneously, favourably influenced the course of disease in mice infected intraperitoneally with a pathogenic strain of E. coli that was very sensitive to colicine V in vitro. A beneficial effect was noted even when treatment was delayed until the mice were visibly ill.