[Protective somatic antigen of Corynebacterium diphtheriae].

Deoxycholate C. diphtheriae extract was separated into fractions differing in the size of their molecules. Correlation between the molecular weight of each fraction, its specific protein content and its immunogenicity was observed. The high-molecular fraction (mol. wt. exceeding 300,000 daltons) was shown to be the protective somatic antigen of C. diphtheriae.