Diphtheria antitoxin

Diphtheria antitoxin Neutralization of the erythrogenic effect of diphtheria toxin in the skin of guinea-pigs lOOOlUmI" if prepared in horses 5001U mM If prepared in other species... 

In medicine the need for standards was just as acute. Beal (r95i) mentioned that the U.S. Pharmacopoeia VI, issued in 1880, took a big step forward by adding tests for purity and quality of the materials described in it, but the use of reference materials as an integral part of the pharmaceutical monographs for drugs did not start until the 1950 s. Another example of activities at the end of the 19th Century was associated with the introduction, by Ehrlich, of the first diphtheria antitoxin and his... 

Antitoxin An antibody formed in response to and capable of neutralizing a biological poison, an animal serum containing antitoxins, or a solution of antibodies (e.g., diphtheria antitoxin and botulinum antitoxin) derived from the serum of animal immunized with specific antigens. Antitoxins are used to confer passive immunity and for treatment. 

Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg in 1890, and the Kitasato Institute in Tokyo in 1892-3, commemorating von Behring s discovery, with Kitsato, of diphtheria antitoxin. In New York, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research was incorporated in 1901 and in London the Lister Institute for Medical Research was established by 1903. 

Antibodies Derived from Horse Antisera Botulism antitoxin, diphtheria antitoxin, scorpion venom antisera, snake venom antisera, spider anti-venins, and tetanus antitoxin. 

In 1902, several children died after being administered contaminated diphtheria antitoxin. 

Diphtheria antitoxin Horse Antibodies raised against diphtheria toxoid... 

It is used for passive immunisation in suspected cases of diphtheria and should be given without waiting for bacteriological confirmation of the infection and antibacterial agent is usually given concomitantly. A test dose of diphtheria antitoxin should always be given to test hypersensitivity. 

Diphtheria Diphtheria antitoxin, equine 20,000-120,000 units IV or IM depending on the severity and duration of illness. Early treatment of respiratory diphtheria. Available from the CDC.3 Anaphylactic reactions in 7% of adults and serum reactions in 5-10% of adults. 

Poor quality-control standards in drug manufacturing led to the death of 13 children in St. Louis from a contaminated diphtheria antitoxin. 

The use of specific and nonspecific antisera in human medicine is well established and dates back to 1891 when Emil von Behring developed the first diphtheria antitoxin, but their use carries associated risks such as fluid overload and transmission of disease. The potential for MABs as therapeutic agents was quickly recognized and the first MAB was approved for therapeutic use in 1986 (Ortho Biotech s OKT3, a mouse MAB to CD3, for the reversal of transplant rejection). It became clear early on that the presence of, or appearance of, human antimouse antibodies (HAMA) in the patient, which neutralized subsequent treatments, often limited the efficacy of mouse MABs. More recently, chimeric, deimmunized, or fully human MABs have been developed. 

The first Nobel prizes were awarded in 1901 to Wilhelm K, Roentgen (discovery of X-rays in 1895), J.H. van t Hoff (chemical thermodynamics and osmodc pressure), and E.A. von Behring (diphtheria antitoxin). Listings of scores of Nobel prizes awarded over a century of progress can be found... 

NORTHRUP, JOHN H. (1891-1987). An American chemist who won a Nobel prize in chemistry in 1946 along with James B. Sumner and Wendell M. Stanley. His work was primarily concerned with isolation and crystallization of enzymes. Many first included the production of the enzyme trypsin in the laboratory and isolation of the first bacterial virus. He was also responsible for producing diphtheria antitoxin in crystalline form. His education was at eastern schools including Harvard. Yale, and Princeton. 

Newcomb RW, Ishizaka K, DeVald BL. Human IgG and IgA diphtheria antitoxins in serum, nasal fluids and saliva. I Immunol 1969 103(2) 215—24. 

Human 7-globulin Horse diphtheria antitoxin Human serum albumin Insulin... 

Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae). Antitoxin 10 000-100 000 units i.v. in two divided doses 0.5-2 h apart is given to neutralise toxin already formed according to the severity of the disease. Erythromycin or benzylpenicillin is also used, to prevent the production of more toxin by destroying the bacteria. 

Emil von Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato develop effective diphtheria antitoxin... 

Adverse reactions to diphtheria antitoxin include anaphylactic reactions in 7% of patients, serum sickness occurring 12 days postadministration, or both. Serum sickness may be accelerated (7 to 12 days) in persons previously sensitized. Fortunately, the widespread use of diphtheria toxoid has greatly reduced the incidence of the disease and thus the use of diphtheria antitoxin. 

He returned in 1889, completely recovered, and accepted an appointment at the Institute for Infectious Diseases in Berlin directed by Robert Koch. Ehrlich continued to develop his ideas about the specificity of chemicals for particular cells and for their structural components, but he also became heavily involved in the development of methods for the accurate measurement of the potency of diphtheria antitoxin. This seminal work is often overlooked... 

---