The composition of diphtheria toxin— Antitoxin floccules

Abstract

The ultra-violet absorption curve was employed in an attempt to determine the composition of diphtheria toxin-antitoxin precipitates. The effect of varying concentrations of non-specific proteins on the amount of precipitate was also observed. As a result of their investigations, the authors conclude that the floccules consist almost entirely of denatured pseudo-globulin derived from the antiserum. The amount of precipitate obtained from a balanced mixture of toxin and antitoxin is largely independent of various conditions, such as amount of non-specific protein. It is believed that antitoxin actually is pseudoglobulin.