title: Determination of endotoxicity in bacterial vaccines.
abstract: Endotoxicity of bacterial vaccines was quantitated in mice by using actinomycin D as potentiating agent. The results were compared with those obtained by the mouse weight gain test. The lethality of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide was increased 2,140 times when 12.5 mug of actinomycin D was used. The mean lethal dose values of heated and unheated pertussis vaccines were similar in the actinomycin D enhancement assay, but the unheated vaccine was significantly more toxic in the mouse weight gain test. Acetone-inactivated typhoid vaccine was slightly less toxic than the heat-phenol-inactivated vaccine in both the actinomycin D enhancement assay and mouse weight gain test. Endotoxicity of experimental vaccines prepared by extraction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains was high as compared with E. coli lipopolysaccharide. The BALB/c mice were about four times more susceptible than the random bred NIH strain mice. The results indicate that the actinomycin D enhancement assay had the advantages of being more sensitive and probably more specific.
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone; D000818:Animals; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000633:toxicity*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000633:toxicity*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000633:toxicity*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D012485:Salmonella typhi; D013045:Species Specificity; D014436:Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines / Q000633:toxicity*; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008937:Mitomycins; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D014436:Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D000096:Acetone; D003609:Dactinomycin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D015122:Mercaptopurine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate