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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1974 February; 27(2): 333-336
Copyright © 1974 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation of Type A Botulinal Toxin Assays that Use Antitoxin to Crystalline Toxin

Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

ABSTRACT

The type A botulinal toxin assay by the reverse passive hemagglutination procedure which uses antitoxin to crystalline toxin was examined for specificity. The analysis was based on the fact that crystalline type A toxin is a complex of neurotoxic protein (A) and a nontoxic protein (Aß). By using these components, obtained in essentially pure forms, it was shown that the antitoxin to crystalline toxin has a significantly higher titer to Aß than to A. When Formalin-treated red blood cells were sensitized with this antitoxin, the antibodies coupled to the cells were, for practical results, only anti-Aß. When the suspension is reacted with dilutions of type A toxic solutions, the limiting dilutions are determined by Aß and not by the neurotoxin, which should be the determinant if the assay is to measure toxicity. These observations may be pertinent to the development of serological assays for other botulinal toxin types.

¹ On leave from: Department of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture, University of Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan.