Glutaraldehyde in whole-cell Bordetella pertussis vaccine.

Treatment of the whole-cell bacterial suspensions of Bordetella pertussis with 0.05% glutaraldehyde at room temperature for 10 min kills the bacteria and, except for some histamine sensitising activity, almost detoxifies the pertussis toxin. The glutaraldehyde-vaccine is of good potency with a meritorious performance in tests for abnormal toxicity in mice, the leucocytosis-promoting-factor and the mouse weight gain. Using glutaraldehyde for the inactivation of whole-cell pertussis vaccine on a commercial scale must await extensive clinical trials with vaccine lots with a good record of safety and potency in animal tests.