Toxicity of Purified Botulinal Toxin Fed to Mice

Abstract

Summary

Purified botulinal toxin types A, B, E, and F (α preparations of mol wt 150,000 — 165,000) were fed to mice and their intragastric (ig) LD₅₀ calculated in terms of ip LD₅₀ units. Similar data were obtained with the α-β complex of the corresponding toxin types. The number of ip LD₅₀ doses in an ig LD₅₀ of α ranged from nearly equal to about 15 times greater than in the complex of the same toxin type. These results suggest that the α form of botulinal toxins should have only slightly lower toxicity than the complex when they are ingested by man.