A Toxic Substance Associated with the Gilliam Strain of R. orientalis

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Abstract
Yolk sacs of embryonated eggs infected with the Gilliam strain of scrub typhus contain a specific toxin which kills mice. Other strains of Rickettsia orientalis have not yet yielded a similar toxin. The lethal substance is readily neutralized by Gilliam antiserum but antisera against 8 other strains of scrub typhus contain only small amounts of antitoxin or none. Antisera of epidemic and murine typhus and spotted fever fail to neutralize Gilliam toxin. Strain differences previously demonstrated in scrub typhus by other technics are further emphasized by toxin-antitoxin tests.