This article reports experiments with guinea-pigs on methods of producing
wounds and infecting them with street virus, and on the use of
nitric acid,
detergent solution and antirabies serum in the local treatment of these
wounds for the prevention of
rabies. Despite certain limitations in the experimental arrangement, the authors consider that these findings are valuable in verifying some of the similar experiments performed by other workers.The addition of
hyaluronidase to the virus challenge
suspension did not increase the infectivity of the
suspension when applied to
wounds, but there was a trend towards increased pathogenicity of the
hyaluronidase-virus mixture over virus
suspension alone when inoculated intramuscularly.In the local treatment of
wounds the protective action which resulted when
nitric acid was applied within 4 hours, but not after a 24-hour interval, after
infection, confirmed the results of other workers.Antirabies serum also proved effective both when infiltrated under the
wound and when inoculated systemically up to 24 hours after
infection, this being the longest interval tested. The results suggested that the serum exerted a specific local action.While some protective action was apparently achieved with the
detergent Terjolate when applied by gentle swabbing, or by infiltration of
saline solution under the
wound, up to 3 hours after
infection, this protection was distinctly inferior to that obtained with
nitric acid or serum. The authors point out the excellent results reported by other workers with a different
detergent,
Zephiran chloride, and recommend further studies on this and other similar substances less
corrosive than
nitric acid.These experiments, considered together with those reported by other workers, indicate the value of simple washing,
flushing or irrigation of
wounds as a means of reducing virus levels below the infective dose.The authors cite the need for further research on local treatment of
wounds in order to clarify mechanisms of action of various procedures and agents now used, and to improve the methods for handling the worrisome situation presented by a
bite wound from an animal suspected of having
rabies.