THE EFFECT OF VITAMIN B COMPLEX ON THE RESISTANCE OF RATS TO ENTERITIDIS INFECTION

As our¹ previous experiments showed that the administration of vitamin D decreased the susceptibility of rachitic rats to an enteritidis infection, it was decided to test the effect of vitamin B, with the same technic. It has been found, as will be shown in the following experiments, that vitamin B in the form of dried yeast² increases the resistance of rats on a vitamin B-free diet.

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE  For many years before it was known that such a substance as vitamin B existed, yeast was used empirically in the treatment for furunculosis and constipation, and recent clinical reports,³ still justify this practice.In 1923, Gerstenberger⁴ treated a series of patient with herpetic stomatitis and herpes labialis with yeast vitamin tablets (vitamin B concentrate), and found that these conditions, even when they had advanced to the stage of ulceration, were rapidly cleared up by this