Effect of Dermonecrotic Toxin of Bordetella pertussis on the Spleen of CFW and C57BL/10ScN Mice

The dermonecrotic toxin (DNT), also called heat-labile toxin, was previously discovered in extracts of B. pertussis cells. The toxin had a marked necrotic effect on the skin of rabbits and guinea pigs and a degenerative action on the spleens of mice. The toxicity was inactivated at 56 C for 10 min. In this note we describe a pronounced difference in the response of spleens from CFW (random bred) and C57BL/10ScN (inbred) mice, raised in the animal production unit at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, to the effects of this toxin. To the authors knowledge, differences among strains of mice in their response to purified DNT have not been recorded in the literature.