Antibody counters deadly food poison.The first effective experimental treatment for poisoning with a lethal fungal fungal /fun·gal/ (fun´g'l) fungous; pertaining to fungi. fun·gal or fun·gous adj. 1. Of, relating to, resembling, or characteristic of a fungus. 2. toxin has been reported by researchers at the Unformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. The toxin, called T-2 toxin, is a trichothecene that is a natural contaminant contaminant /con·tam·i·nant/ (kon-tam´in-int) something that causes contamination. contaminant something that causes contamination. of food and livestock feed. The antitoxin antitoxin, any of a group of antibodies formed in the body as a response to the introduction of poisonous products, or toxins. By introducing small amounts of a specific toxin into the healthy body, it is possible to stimulate the production of antitoxin so that the , developed by Giora Feuerstein, Joan A. Powell and Kenneth W. Hunter, is a set of pure, specific (monoclonal) antibodies that bind to the toxin. Laboratory rats survived when given the antitoxin either shortly before or after T-2 toxin injection. The antitoxin also reduced mortality when given one hour after the toxin, when the rats already demonstrated profound cardiovascular malfunctions, the scientists reported at the recent meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, or FASEB, is a non-profit federation of 21 societies for biomedical research in the United States. Its mission statement is "to advance biological science through collaborative advocacy for research policies that . |
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