Abstract
Summary
Properties of fractions of diphtheria antitoxic wheal reactive serum have been described. The ability of these fractions to sensitize human skin has been related to their protein and antitoxin content. Two methods of cold ethanol fractionation were employed to obtain serum components, some of which were then subfractionated electrophoretically in a starch supporting medium. The results of passive transfer tests suggest that skin sensitization is best expressed in fractions which contain gamma globulin and a non-gamma (β or α 2) globulin. The point of view is adopted that the serum under consideration contains antitoxic reagins, and that they represent antitoxin whose behavior is modified by the coexistence of a labile protein protective serum factor.
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