Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures in microtiter wells are sensitive to growth inhibition and killing by picogram quantities of diphtheria toxin. In the absence of biologically active toxin, the CHO cell culture produces sufficient acidic metabolites to change the phenol red pH indicator from pink to yellow within 56 h. In the presence of 10 pg of toxin per well, growth inhibition can be...

The majority of Men C conjugate vaccines given in the UK use CRM(197), a mutant diphtheria toxoid, as their protein carrier. We studied the effects of prior immunisation with Men C-CRM(197) conjugate vaccine on immunity to diphtheria in 193 children before and after a booster dose of Men C at 4 years. Baseline diphtheria antibodies were higher in children given four previous doses of Men C (P<0...

A survey of titres of diphtheria and tetanus antitoxins and of antibodies to polioviruses in the sera of 291 schoolchildren aged 15, 11, and 7 years showed that high immunisation rates can evoke protective concentrations of tetanus antitoxin in 98% of children and protective levels of the antibodies to diphtheria and all three types of poliomyelitis in 85% of children. Reinforcing immunisation ...

background: conventional hepatitis b virus (hbv) vaccination fails to achieve efficient protection in about 5–10% of the world population. hence, different strategies have been adopted to ameliorate hbv antibody titers. this study aimed to evaluate the concurrent application of tetanus‑diphtheria (td) and hbv vaccination on hepatitis b surface (hbs) antibody titer in low‑responder healthy indiv...

AT the beginning of the twentieth century diphtheria occupied a unique position in contrast to other infectious diseases. Its symptoms and course were well known and accurately described, the causal organism definitely recognized, and a specific remedy was available for its treatment, yet in spite of this wealth of scientific knowledge the control and prevention of the disease had proved a comp...

The structural gene for diphtheria toxin, tox, has been modified at its Sph I site by the introduction of an oligonucleotide linker encoding a unique Pst I restriction endonuclease site and a synthetic oligonucleotide encoding alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). The resulting fusion gene directs the expression of a diphtheria toxin-related alpha-MSH hybrid protein in which the dip...

The effect of crystalline diphtheria toxin on protein synthesis in vivo was evaluated in guinea pigs and mice. By two independent methods of analysis (microdensitometry of tissue radioautograms and radioactivity of tissue proteins), it was established that inhibition of protein synthesis was not a widespread metabolic effect of diphtheria toxin. In the sensitive guinea pig, only the heart and t...

This study analysed the number of patients admitted with diphtheria to a teaching hospital in the state of Assam in India over a period of five years and compared the disease characteristics and management with outcomes and incidences of diphtheria reported in the literature. It was a retrospective analysis of data elicited from clinical records of patients admitted to hospital. A total of 101 ...