1887

Abstract

SUMMARY: Crude preparations of the lecithinase of are lethal for mice. Their toxicity, haemolytic activity, and the power of liberating acid- soluble phosphorus from lecithin are neutralized by -antitoxin; in terms of lethal doses of -toxin and the lecithinase, -antitoxin is less than one five-hundredth as effective against the lecithinase as against the -toxin.

In terms of lecithinase activity in standard conditions, equipotent amounts of lecithinase from three different strains of were respectively 9, 60 and 75 times less toxic than the corresponding amount of lecithinase. The toxicity of the lecithinase therefore is determined, not only by its lecithinase activity, but by unknown factors that vary from strain to strain of the bacillus. These factors are not likely to be contaminating substances with a synergic or inhibitory effect, since the differences in toxicity were maintained in several preparations from each of the three strains studied.

The analysis of the two antigenically related lecithinases from and provided no positive evidence against the hypothesis that the -toxin of is identical with the lecithinase.

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1950-01-01
2024-04-24
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