ANTI-ENZYME IMMUNITY 



337 



One mouse MLD, or 0.000013 mg of toxin nitrogen was sufficient 

 to kill a mouse within 96 hours with an incubation period of about 

 30 hours (Pillemer and Wartman, 1947). Injection of 500,000 times 

 this amount of toxin, or 6.4 mg of toxin nitrogen, produced tetanal 

 signs in 35 minutes and death within one hour (without producing 

 pathological symptoms). As possible mode of action of the toxin, Pil- 

 lemer and Wartman suggest that tetanal toxin itself is actually only an 

 intermediate agent in the production of tetanus and that another sub- 

 stance formed in the host after the administration of tetanal toxin is the 

 actual toxic agent. Thus, the only time which would be required for 

 the manifestation of tetanal symptoms would be that which was nec- 

 essary for the production of the actual toxic agent. 



The chief clinical signs with the crystalline toxin were fixation of 

 the muscles of the thorax and abdomen, respiratory embarrassment, 

 increased muscular tonus and asphyxia. 



d. Enzymatic Activities of the Toxins of Vibrio Comma. Felsen- 

 feld (1944) reported that the filtrates of four Vibrio comma and one 

 El Tor strain of vibrio showed lecithinase activity liberating choline, 

 free phosphate, and unsaturated and saturated fatty acids from lecithin. 

 These findings indicated the presence of lecithinase B, choline-phos- 

 phatase and glycerophosphatase in the filtrates. The course of reactions 

 could be schematized in the following manner: 



Lecithinase, choline-fhosj>hatase and glycero-fhosphatase of Vibria Comma 

 CHjOC— CJ7H33 



i * 



CH2OC CJ7H35 



CH,0-P-0-CH,CH2N(CH3)s 



^\ I 



O OH OH 



CH jCH 2di 2 

 OH OH OH 



Glycero- 

 phosphatase 



-t-H,0 



a — Lecithin 

 +2H2O 



Lecithioaie B 



+ 



H0-P-0-CHjCHjN(CH3)j 



+H2O 



OH 



Choline- 

 phosphatase 



HO-P_OH + HOCHjCHjNCCHOa 



O OH OH 



Choline 



CHjOH + HOC-CtHm 



Ij Oleic acid 



CHjOH -f HO-C-C„H3s 



11 Stearic add 



(bH-O-P-O-CHzCH^NCCHj), 



O OH OH 



Choline-glycerin-phosphoric ester 

 iNon-hemolyUc) 



