Some Physiological and Biochemical Effects of a Coxiella burneti Lipopolysaccharide Preparation on Guinea Pigs

Abstract

A lipopolysaccharide obtained in a dialyzed phenol extract from the rickettsia Coxiella burneti produced the following effects in guinea pigs after intraperitoneal injection: hyperthermia, loss of body weight, increased liver weight and concomitant lipid infiltration, elevated levels of hepatic and plasma cortisol, increased incorporation of [ 3 H]orotic acid into hepatic 28 S and 18 S ribosomal ribonucleic acid, increased incorporation of 14 C-labeled amino acids into liver and plasma protein, and leukocytosis. Most of these events also occur during infection of guinea pigs with C. burneti , and a causal relationship between the rickettsial lipopolysaccharide and the biochemical changes that occur during Q fever is suggested.