Colony immunoblot assay of botulinal toxin.

Botulinal neurotoxin in and around colonies of Clostridium botulinum types A, B, and E and of toxigenic Clostridium butyricum was detected by an enzyme-linked immunoassay procedure whereby the toxin was transferred from the agar medium to a nitrocellulose support and the immobilized toxin was probed with type-specific antibodies. The method identified the toxin types of the colonies grown from a mixed inoculum of C. botulinum serotypes. The specificity of the antitoxins for type A and B toxins was improved by adsorption of the antitoxins with the antigens of heterologous type cultures.