TRANSFORMATION OF PSEUDOGEOBUEIN INTO 
EUGEOBUEIN 
By W. N. Berg, 
Physiologist, Pathological Division , Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture 1 
INTRODUCTION 
In several publications Banzhaf 2 states that when diphtheria serum 
is heated as it is in the preparation of antitoxin, part of the pseudoglobulin 
is transformed into euglobulin. Details regarding the met hods of analysis 
or the analytic data on which Banzhaf based his conclusion were not 
found in the publications examined. 
This transformation has both a practical and a theoretical interest. 
It facilitates the concentration of the antitoxin present in the serum 
by removing protein without removing any of the antitoxin, so that the 
final product contains all the antitoxin associated with much less protein. 
This is desirable because certain of the serum proteins have very little 
therapeutic value. In applying the heat treatment for the first time to a 
serum such as anthrax serum, it is obviously desirable to be certain that a 
similar transformation takes place. Otherwise, there would be no need 
of the heat treatment, and, besides, the heating may cause loss of potency. 
On the theoretical side, the fact that pseudoglobulin can be transformed 
into euglobulin without affecting the total number of antitoxic units is 
almost conclusive proof that the antitoxin is a substance separate from 
pseudoglobulin. That this transformation may take place in some 
serums, but not in all, is indicated by the following experiments, in which 
the heating of the serum was carried out under carefully controlled 
conditions and the analytic data obtained by improved methods. In 
all, four horse serums were used, as follows: 
Anthrax 48.—Serum obtained from horse 48; used in a previous work. 8 Blood 
drawn January 6, 1916. Potency high. 
Anthrax 96.—Serum obtained from horse 96; used previously. Blood drawn Jan¬ 
uary 6, 1916. Potency lower than serum 48. 
Diphtheria 1.—A mixture of 500 c. c. of serum, potency 1,400 units per cubic 
centimeter when bled November 4, 1915, and 700 c. c. of serum, potency 250 units 
per cubic centimeter when bled October 29, 191s. From two horses. 
Tetanus 1.—A mixture of 750 c. c. serum, potency 200 units per cubic centimeter 
when bled February 14, 1916, and 250 c. c. serum, potency 175 units when bled 
February 14, 1916. From two horses. 
1 The thanks of the writer are due to Dr. A. Eichhom, Chief of the Pathological Division, for many valu¬ 
able suggestions and his interest in the work. 
a Banzhaf, E. J. The further separation of antitoxin from its associated proteins in horse serum. In 
Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., v. 6, no. 1, p. 8-9. 1908. 
-The further separation of antitoxin from its associated proteins in horse serum. No. III. In Collect, 
Stud. Bur. Eab. Dept. Health, city of New Vork, v. 7, 1912-13, p. 114-116. [1913.] 
-and Famulener, h. W. The proteins and antitoxin in the serum of goats immunized against 
diphtheria. In Collect. Stud. Bur. Tab. Dept. Health, city of New York, v. 8, p. 208-212. [1915.] 
8 Eichhom, Adolph, Berg, W. N., and Kelser, R. A. Immunity studies on anthrax serum. In Jour. 
Agr. Research v. 8, no. 2, p. 37-56, 1 fig. 1917- 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
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(449) 
Vol. vni. No. I, 
Mar. *19,1917 
Key No. A—28 
