STUDIES WITH STAPHYLOCOCCAL TOXINS: I. A REAPPRAISAL OF THE VALIDITY OF THE "KITTEN TEST" AS AN INDICATION OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL ENTEROTOXIN

Abstract

Under controlled conditions of maintenance and treatment of test cats, and with inducement of decisive vomiting as the criterion of enterotoxicity, the "Dolman kitten-test" has provided a high degree of positivity for the detection of an emetic principle in preparations from staphylococcal cultures. These conclusions are based on 315 individual cat injections. Under the conditions of these experiments and with the use of 133 control preparations, false positive reactions likely to cause confusion in normal determinative tests were not encountered.