Invented in the good old U.S.S.R. first:
Preparation of hyperimmune plasmas and hyperimmune immunoglobulins for bacterial
infections
Antibiotic therapy has saved millions of lives. In recent years, however, many strains of bacteria have become resistant to
antibiotics, leaving patients with antibiotic resistant bacterial infections practically without protection. This is fast becoming
global crisis. This poses a new problem: to find a new method to combat antibiotic resistant infections.
In the 1960s a devastating epidemic of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections caused mostly by Staphylococcus aureus,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli occurred in Russia and other countries (1). In response, Dr. Simon
Skurkovich and his colleagues in Russia developed hyperimmune plasma and hyperimmunoglobulin preparations, which
proved extremely effective in combating these infections. The preparations against staphylococcus and pseudomonas were
targeted to bacterial exotoxin; the antibodies against several types of E. coli were targeted against microbe cells. These were
the first human immune anti-toxic preparations in the world against staphylococcus and pseudomonas and human immune
antibacterial preparations against E. coli (2-10).
The anti-staph immune preparations were used to treat staph diseases of children and adults including :
septicemia
peritonitis
pneumonia
staph lung destruction
pleurisy
pericarditis
osteomylelitis
meninigitis
local staph diseases, etc.
Administration of anti-staph immune preparations proved extremely effective in staph diseases and saved hundreds of
thousands of lives. For example, at the Institute of Chest Surgery, the largest such clinic in Moscow, deaths from
post-operative sepsis dropped from 71 to 15%. Heart valves for transplant were bathed in the anti-staph plasma before
surgery. After this, cases of sepsis following such operations dropped from 11% to nearly zero (6-7). In Odessa mortality in
children sufferin g from staph declined from 13.5% to 0.5%.
The anti-pseudomonas plasma (10) was very successfully used to treat:
sepsis
burns
osteomyelitis
open, infected fractures
ear infections
and others
Anti-E. coli plasma was produced against four types of E. coli: 01, 02, 015, 020. Each of these plasmas, it was learned,
was effective against the other types, include Proteus vulgaris (8-9).
These two preparations (anti-staph and anti-pseudomonas) have been commercialized and are presently used in Russia.
References
1. S. Skurkovich, Facing the Coming Plague, World & I, June 1998, 150-157.
2. S.V. Skurkovich, et al, "Hyperimmune antistaphylococcal human plasma," Russian patent No. 304952, June 15, 1967.
3. Skurkovich SV, et al, Obtaining and clinical application of hyperimmune antistaphylococcus human plasma and of
hyperimmune antistaphylococcus gamma globulin with directed effect," (in Russian) Probl Gematol Pereliv Krovi, no 1,
3-17, Jan 1969.
4. Skurkovich SV, et al. Donor immunization scheme for obtaining hyperimmune antistaphylococcal plasma, (in Russian)
Probl Gematol Pereliv Krovi, no. 4, 58-59, 1974.
5. S.V. Skurkovich, Immunoglobulins (hyperimmune plasma) of directed action," (review), (in Russian) Sovetskaya
Meditsina, no. 7, 103-108, 1977.
6. S.V. Skurkovich, use of immune preparations possessing a directed action in patients with pyogenic complications after
cardiac surgery, (in English) NIH DHEW Publication No. 78-1246, USA-USSR First Joint Symposium on Blood
Tranfusion, Moscow, USSR, October 18-25, 1976, 169.
7. Bukharin VA, Chekanov VS, Nezhlukto AY, Skurkoivch SV, et al. The first experience gained with the use of
xenoaortal valves, preserved in antistaphylococcal plasma, (in Russian) Grudn Khir 16:29-31, 1974.
8. S.V. Skurkovich,et al, Obtaining Homologous Hyperimmune Preparations from Blood of Immunized Donors—Anti-E.
Coli (Antiescherichia) plasma and Antitoxic anti-Pyogenic Plasma, Problemy Gematologii i Perelivaniia Krovi (in
Russian), no. 2, 51-53,1978.
9. S.V. Skurkovich, et al. Obtaining Hyperimmune Anti-Coli (Anti-Eschierichia) Human Plasma, (in English)
Biomedicine, 27:258-260, 1977.
10. S.V. Skurkovich, et al, Method of obtaining hyperimmune antipseuomonas antitoxic human plasma, Russian patent No.
548275, November 5, 1976.
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