POTENCY TEST OF DIPHTHERIA TOXOID IN RATS

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Medical Science and Biology Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 295 - 302
• Main Authors: SHUKUTA, SACHIO, MURATA, RYOSUKE, KANEKO, JUNICHI
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Editorial Committee 01.01.1963
• Subjects: Animals; Antibody Formation; Diphtheria Toxoid; Guinea Pigs; OldMedline; Rats; RATS; ANTIBODY FORMATION; GUINEA PIGS; DIPHTHERIA TOXOID; EXPERIMENTAL LAB STUDY
• ISSN: 0021-5112; 1884-2828
• DOI: 10.7883/yoken1952.16.295

Guinea pigs have been used in the potency test of diphtheria toxoids. However, it is necessary to use not less than one hundred animals in a single assay. It is therefore desirable, if possible, to replace guinea pigs with other species of smaller animals, which are much cheaper and easier to handle. In this respect, mice are not suitable for this purpose because of their refractoriness to immunization with diphtheria toxoid (Barr 1957) and of high resistance to diphtheria toxin. Few reports have been published, however, on the immune response of rats to diphtheria toxoid. The authors have examined the immunizability of rats with an aim to make clear whether they can be used in the routine assay of diphtheria toxoid in place of guinea pigs. It was found that rats were as good producers of antitoxin in response to the inoculated diphtheria toxoid as guinea pigs, but that the effect of aluminium adjuvant was different greatly in these two species. Therefore, the practical value of rats in routine assays of diphtheria toxoids should be determined after a further comparison of results in animals with those in human subjects.