HAPTENTIC PROPERTIES OF PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISON

Abstract : Rabbit antisera produced to protein conjugated paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) contain precipitating antibodies of high titer. Inhibition tests, employing PSP and diazotized PSP, reveal that the reaction of PSP-globulin and PSP-ovalbumin to their homologous antisera is specifically inhibited by diazotized PSP. The antibodies produced to the conjugated proteins are passively transferrable as indicated by skin tests in normal rabbits. In vivo and in vitro tests to neutralize toxin by combination with anti-protein conjugated PSP sera yielded negative results. Some of the possible chemical reactions of PSP are discussed with special emphasis on the reaction with nitrous acid.