[The tumour-tetanus phenomenon as a basis for computation of cell kinetic parameters of tumour growth (author's transl)]

Abstract

A verbal description of a mathematical model is given which theoretically explains the basis of the biological specificity of the tumour-tetanus phenomenon. The main postulate of the model concerns a mitosis-controlled clostridial growth. It is based on the experimental and mathematical demonstration that clostridia are stimulated by the dividing tumour cells. In particular, we have shown that the parameters which describe the kinetics of the pacemaker cells of the host can be deduced from the experimental tetanus lethality curves of the animals. Using these mathematical parameters one obtains stimulated curves which excellently fit the experimental test results. The pacemaker mechanism is the prerequisite of a specific clostridium-tumour assay utilizing serological methods with atoxic non-oncolytic clostridial strains as test microbes.