SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF DIPHTHERIA AS COMPARED WITH ANTITOXIN.

Postbooster Antibodies from Humans as Source of Diphtheria Antitoxin

Diphtheria antitoxin for therapeutic use is in limited supply. A potential source might be affinity-purified antibodies originally derived from plasma of adults who received a booster dose of a vaccine containing diphtheria toxoid. These antibodies might be useful for treating even severe cases of diphtheria.

Identification of a human monoclonal antibody to replace equine diphtheria antitoxin for treatment of diphtheria intoxication.

Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) has been the cornerstone of the treatment of Corynebacterium diphtheriae infection for more than 100 years. Although the global incidence of diphtheria has declined steadily over the last quarter of the 20th century, the disease remains endemic in many parts of the world, and significant outbreaks still occur. DAT is an equine polyclonal antibody that is not commercia...

Studies of Diphtheria Antitoxin in Rheumatic Fever

The importance of group A hemolytic streptococcal infections in the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever is widely recognized, but little is known of the mechanism by which the streptococcal infection gives rise to the disease. The concept that an antigen-antibody interaction may be involved in the origin of the pathologic processes has received increasing attention, and recent antibody studies (1, ...

Purification and Crystallization of Diphtheria Antitoxin

Purified preparations of diphtheria antitoxin have been obtained by digestion of the toxin-antitoxin complex with trypsin, followed by fractional precipitation with ammonium sulfate. The various fractions obtained in this way are all 90 per cent or more precipitated by diphtheria toxin but combine with different quantities of the toxin. The fraction precipitated between 0.33 and 0.5 saturated a...

Xlvii. the Heat Inactivation of Diphtheria Antitoxin