An Electrophoretic Study of Tetanus Antitoxin Sera

Abstract

In a previous paper 1 we described an electrophoretic analysis of several antipneumococcal horse sera that showed antibody activity in the γ-component. Since then 2 of the horses have been used to produce tetanal antitoxin. Subsequent electrophoretic analyses detected the appearance of a new component apparently associated with the freshly developed antitoxic activity.

Early in September, 1939, horses No. 9514 and No. 6225 began to receive tetanal toxin instead of Types 1 and 2 pneumococcal antigens. Three months later they had high antitoxin-titers. Electrophoretic analyses of sera taken then, and before immunization with toxin had begun, are reproduced in Figs. 1 to 4. Only traces of antipneumococcal precipitin could be found in the sera taken in December and areas underlying the γ-peaks had obviously decreased greatly. With the development of antitoxin there had appeared, however, a strong new component (labeled T) with a mobility, -2.2 × 10^-5 cm 2 sec^-1 volts^-1, midway between β and γ. The same component was present in the strongly antitoxic serum of horse No. 756, which had never been used before for antibody-production, and in the sera of other horses producing tetanal antitoxin.