PROTAMINE TETANUS TOXOID

Abstract

A NUMBER of reports dealing with reactions following immunization against tetanus have appeared in recent years.¹ The elimination of Witte's® peptone from the medium in which the bacillus is grown seemed to reduce the frequency of disturbing reactions. Nevertheless, it appears desirable to improve on the fluid toxoids being used, as well as on the product obtained by the simple addition of relatively large amounts of alum to such crude toxoids. Several methods of purifying crude toxoid or toxin have been described in the literature. Boivin and Izard² used trichloroacetic acid to precipitate the toxoid and thereby obtained a considerable removal of inert substances. Eaton and Gronau³ precipitated tetanus toxin with cadmium chloride, after a previous treatment with calcium chloride. Toxin was then eluted and reprecipitated with ammonium sulfate and the latter removed by dialysis. Pickett, Hoeprich and Germain,⁴ following the same procedure and applying it