Abstract
Reinfusion of ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated blood with maximum absorption of 254 nm revealed the therapeutic effect on the course of staphylococcal infection. As the mechanism of the therapeutic effect is not yet clear and the wave-length region about 254 nm is dangerous for DNA (the regions of maximal absorption is 260 nm and 290 nm for some proteins respectively), we decided to study the possible therapeutic effect of UV-irradiated blood method in model staphylococcal infection using a wave-length of maximum of 365 nm.
Our results in rabbits showed the favourable effect of reinfusion of UV-irradiated blood also in this wave-length maximum. All control rabbits inoculated with the virulent strain of S. aureus H 476 (2 x 10(5) per 1 kg of body weight) died within 40 hours after infection.
On the other hand, rabbits inoculated with the same dose of S. aureus but treated with UV-irradiated blood did not die within 28 days of observation and no serious pathological changes were found in sections.