Toxin Production of Faecal Strains of Clostridium Welchii
- 7 November 1964
- Vol. 2 (5418) , 1176-1177
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.5418.1176
Abstract
200 strains C. welchii isolated from the feces of surgical patients were tested for the production of [alpha]-toxin. The majority of strains produced concentrations of toxin from 0.02 to 0.5 unit/ml, with a range of less than 0.005 unit/ml up to 2 units/ml. 11 strains isolated from the lesions of patients with gas gangrene produced toxin within a range of 0.01 to 0.77 unit/ml. It is suggested that these results are compatible with the view that the infecting organism in gas gangrene is often derived from the patient, and that they do not support the opinion that the reason why gas gangrene is rare in surgical practice is because fecal strains of C. welchii produce relatively little toxin.Keywords
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