[Preparation of diagnostic antitoxic serum to Clostridium difficile]

The results of the studies on the preparation of diagnostic antitoxic sera to C. difficile, intended for use in biological assays with the aim of the laboratory diagnosis of clostridial enteric infections, are presented. The conditions for the detoxification of C. difficile native toxin have been established, the optimum schedules for the immunization of rabbits have been selected and specific antitoxic sera to C. difficile have been obtained. The neutralizing activity of these sera has been evaluated in the lethality test and in the cytotoxic test on human embryo dermo-muscular fibroblast cells M-19.