A QUANTITATIVE ASSAY FOR CRUDE ANTHRAX TOXINS

Abstract

The whole crude toxins of Bacillus anthracis, although apparently responsible for the death of animals with anthrax, had never been quantitated. A total of 14 lots of the toxic culture filtrate of B. anthracis were pooled into one large lot of crude anthrax toxins. An extensive assay of this reference material was conducted in four laboratories using the time-to-death of the IV-challenged Fischer 344 rat as the response variable. Doses of the material were varied by concentration/dilution and by volume. The data from this study were used to define a potency unit of the crude anthrax toxins. Procedures were developed and illustrated for the assay of unknown lots of the toxins by comparing the rat time-to-death response to the unknown with either (1) the responses reported in this study or (2) directly with the rat responses to a new sample of the reference toxins. The possibilities and limitations of this standardization and of the statistical procedure through which it was developed are discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1964
Accession Number
AD0453395

Entities

People

  • Bertram W. Haines
  • Frederick Klein
  • Ralph E. Lincoln

Organizations

  • United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Analysis Of Variance
  • Animals
  • Biological Laboratories
  • Coefficients
  • Confidence Limits
  • Data Science
  • Dilution
  • Equations
  • Immune Serums
  • Information Science
  • Materials
  • Quality Control
  • Resistance
  • Rodents
  • Standards
  • Technicians
  • Toxins

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Immunology
  • Microbial Pathology
  • Regression Analysis.