Clostridium oedematiens type A toxin: the correlation between the lethal and edematizing activities.

To differentiate various biological activities, particularly the lethal from the edematizing activities, of Clostridium oedematiens type A, crude toxin and the toxin partially purified by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration were compared with each other in respect to each activity. Comparison was made also by neutralization tests with oedematiens antitoxin. A quantitative and reproducible method was established for estimating edematizing activity of the toxin. The lethal and edematizing activities were not separable from each other by gel filtration. The ratio of the lethal to the edematizing activities, being approximately 10:1, was constant in crude and purified preparations and in those treated by heating or with formalin. The hemolytic activity was separated from the lecithinase activity and both were separated from the lethal and edematizing activities.