Toxin Technology was incorporated in 1984 with the express purpose of providing quality staphylococcal toxins and antitoxins to industry and the scientific community. In addition, a service component of the company was established to test for the presence of staphylococcal toxins in food products and culture supernatants. The founders of the company, Doctors R.F. Reiser and R.H. Deibel, were experts in their respective areas of staphylococcal research at the time the company was founded. Doctor Reiser has extensive experience with the purification and characterization of staphylococcal enterotoxins and was a pioneer in the characterization of Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin(s). Doctor Deibel was the chairman of the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he did extensive research on the growth of staphylococci and salmonella in foods and the action of their toxins in animal models. Mister Paul Bina, vice president and laboratory manager, joined Tox Tech in 1985; the staff has grown to eight employees including four bench scientists.

The product line of the company has been expanded to include toxins produced by streptococci and Escherichia coli. Polyclonal antibodies prepared in both rabbits and sheep are available for most of the toxins and mouse monoclonal antibodies are being added as they become available. The service side of the company now includes testing for additional bacterial toxins and mycotoxins as well as performing serologies for the presence of antibodies to the staph and strep toxins. Contract research services are available in the areas of toxin production and toxin-product challenge studies. These studies can be conducted under Good Laboratory Practice Standards (GLPS).

Links and Resources

• Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
• References and Citations