Tetanus Antitoxin 



399 



194 (2154) 



The transmission of tetanus antitoxin through the placenta. 

 By CARL TEN BROECK and JOHANNES H. BAUER. 



[From the Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical 

 College, Peking, China.] 



In a previous paper we showed that when tetanus bacilli are 

 present in the stools of man an appreciable amount of antitoxin 

 can be found in the blood. We have used this fact to explain 

 in part the comparatively low incidence of tetanus infections in 

 Peking where approximately a third of the population are car- 

 riers of tetanus bacilli. It is of theoretical as well as of prac- 

 tical interest to know whether this antitoxin passes the placenta 

 and we are grateful to Dr. J. P. Maxwell, who has supplied us 

 with the specimens necessary for such a study. 



The stools of fourteen of the mothers examined failed to 

 show tetanus bacilli and not one of their sera was able to neu- 

 tralize two M. L. D. of toxin. Tests on the sera of their chil- 

 dren were likewise negative. 



Six of the mothers proved to be carriers of tetanus bacilli 

 and the results obtained from the examinations of the maternal 

 and child's (cord) bloods are given in the table. 





Child's serum 0.1 c.c. 



Mother's serum 0.1 c.c. 



Hospital 





Fails to 





Fails to 



number 



Neutralizes 



neutralize 



Neutralizes 



neutralize 





M. L. D.* 



M. L. D.* 



M. L. D.* 



M. L. D* 





toxin 



toxin 



toxin 



toxin 



1487 



5 



10 



5 



10 



1599 



25 



50 



25 



50 



1668 



25 



50 



25 



50 



2133 



25 



50 



10 



25 



2164 



25 



50 





5 



4009 



5 



10 



5 



10 



* Field mice were used as test animals. 



It will be seen that, with one marked exception, when tetanus 

 antitoxin was found in the mother's serum it was also present 

 in the cord blood and that, in the majority of cases, the level 

 in the two bloods was approximately the same. 



