Experimental studies of the pathogenesis of infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Treatment with intravenous immune globulin.

Intravenous immune globulin was used to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infected, burned mice. Protection was dose-related and large amounts of intravenous immune globulin administered early in the infection process were necessary for full protection. Intravenous immune globulin is processed differently in unburned, burned, and burned, infected mice with significantly lower plasma levels in the burned, infected animals 36 hours after a standard dose is given. At 30 hours post-treatment, bacterial counts in the skin and liver tissue of untreated, burned, infected mice are significantly higher than in mice given a protective dose of intravenous immune globulin. Adsorption of intravenous immune globulin with heat-killed cells reduces its protective effects; adsorption with formalin-killed cells reduces its protective effects even more.