Micro Cell Culture Technique for the Detection of Neutralization Antibody against Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin and Its Application to Sero-epidemiology

Abstract

From the standpoint of sero-epidemiology, a technique measuring antibodies against the enterotoxin produced by Cl. perfringens was devised using Vero cells, and the system, thus established, applied to the determination of the antibody levels in the sera of humans and animals.1. Antibodies neutralizing the quantity of enterotoxin as small as 1.2μg/ml (corresponds to 8 minimum cytotoxic dose) could be detected by the micro cell culture method, where the specific neutralization of Vero cell toxicity by the enterotoxin was utilized as an index.2. The positive ratio for the antibodies (neutralization of 8 MCD or more enterotoxin) in humans was 19.9% (29/146), whereas, in other animals, 0% (0/35) for tattles, 0% (0/60) for pigs, 0% (0/55) for chickens, 0% (0/41) for brown rats.3. The maximum antibody level detected in a healthy human serum (1ml) was capable of neutralizing enterotoxin of 4.8μg, and this antibody seemed to belong to the IgG class.