Biological activities of crystalline pertussigen from Bordetella pertussis.

We studied various biological activities of crystalline pertussigen and found that in mice as little as 0.5 ng of pertussigen induced hypersensitivity to histamine, 8 to 40 ng induced leukocytosis, 2 ng increased production of insulin, 0.1 ng increased production of immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G1 antibodies to hen egg albumin, 9.5 ng increased susceptibility to anaphylactic shock, and 0.5 ng increased the vascular permeability of striated muscle. We also found that in Lewis rats 20 ng of pertussigen promoted the induction of hyperacute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Pertussigen given intraperitoneally was toxic to mice at a dose of 546 ng. Treatment of pertussigen with glutaraldehyde eliminated this toxicity. Mice immunized with 1,700 ng of detoxified pertussigen were protected against intracerebral challenge with 3 x 10(4) viable Bordetella pertussis cells. When as little as 0.5 ng of pertussigen was given intravenously to mice, the increased susceptibility of the animals to histamine could still be detected 84 days later. The biological properties of crystalline pertussigen indicate its similarity to leukocytosis-promoting factor, Islet-activating protein, late-appearing toxic factor, and mouse-protective antigen of B. pertussis.