Development of a cell culture assay for Bordetella parapertussis heat-labile toxin

A cell culture assay for heat-labile toxin isolated from Bordetella parapertussis has been developed. In this assay, the ability of heat-labile toxin to induce contraction of vascular smooth muscle cells is measured. The method allows for detection of as little as 0.6 ng/ml of the toxin. The results obtained from this in vitro assay correlated well with those obtained with in vivo assays indicating that the cell culture assay may be a useful alternative to animal assays.