The immunochemistry of toxins and toxoids; the solubility of staphylococcal toxin in methanol-water mixtures under controlled conditions of pH, ionic strength, and temperature.

The success encountered in the purification of tetanal toxin (1) and toxoid (2, 3), of diphtherial toxoid (4), and of soluble pertussal antigens (5) warranted attempts to purify other toxins and toxoids by the multiphase system of protein fractionation. The system employs the precise adjustment of methanol concentration, pH, ionic strength, and protein concentration under rigidly controlled conditions of temperature in order to separate or isolate proteins. Previous attempts to purify and concentrate staphylococcal toxin have met with varying degrees of success. Holt (6) employed ammonium sulfate to concentrate staphylococcal toxin. Burnet and Freeman (7) precipitated the toxin with acetic acid, while Boivin and Izard (8) used trichloroacetic acid. It is the object of the present communication to report studies on the solubility of staphylococcal toxin in methanol-water mixtures. Subsequent publications will deal with the actual isolation and characterization of the toxin.