STUDIES ON THE SUITABILITY OF ALPHA-HYBRID INTERFERON APPLICATION IN CATTLE

Twelve cattle with body wts ranging from 100 to 250 kg were treated us ing various doses and routes for four days with an E. coli derived alp ha-hybrid interferon. The lowest parenteral doses (10(4) units per kg body wt) and the orally administered interferon did not lead to any di sturbances, whereas the higher dosages led to marked changes in body t emperature, pulse and respiration rates. Animals with the highest dose (10(8) units per kg body wt) became extremely distressed. The blood p icture showed distinct changes, with very low leukocyte counts during treatment, which took weeks to recover. It is suggested that the dosag es that did not lead to clinical symptoms are best suited for prophyla ctic or therapeutic purposes.