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Herpesvirus Neutralization: the Role of Complement¹

From the Department of Virology and Epidemiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77025

Abstract

Complement functions in the neutralization of herpesvirus by causing immunoaggregation. Complement-requiring antibody (CRA) in early immune serum appears to behave like a monovalent antibody since it sensitizes virus to the action of complement, but immunoaggregates fail to develop until complement is added. It appears that each aggregate contains many virions and antibody molecules, but it functions only as a single infectious unit. The titer is reduced in proportion to the degree of immunoaggregation. Late immune serum is polyvalent since it is able to aggregate and neutralize virus in the absence of complement. However, complement may also enhance the neutralizing activity of such late immune serum. This enhancement can be detected only if monodispersed virus is used in the test system. Aggregates present in usual virus harvests resist neutralization (persistent fraction). Antibody can decrease virus titers only to the level of the number of virus aggregates present in the harvest.

Footnotes

¹ This investigation was supported in part by research contract PH 43-68-678 within the Special Virus-Cancer Program and research grant CA 04600 from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.