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Antibody-Response to Cutaneous Inoculation with Vaccinial Virus in Human Subjects, Utilizing the Egg-Protection Technic. I. Serum-Virus Neutralization; II. Protection by Passive Transfer

From the Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine and the St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri

Abstract

Results obtained by "egg-protection" tests, using serum-virus neutralization and passive-protection methods, indicate that humoral antibodies to vaccinia begin to appear at the end of the 1st week following cutaneous vaccination, increase in amount during the 2d and 3d weeks, and reach a maximum at the close of the 3d week. The high concentration of antibody persisted for at least 29 days (1 instance), 40 days (2 instances), and for one year (2 instances). In two cases of variola studied a high level of antibody was present 16 and 17 days after onset of symptoms. If one accepts 10 to 13 days as the incubationary period of variola, the antibody-response became apparent approximately 26 to 30 days after introduction of virus in the body.

That humoral antibodies against vaccinia persist in the blood for a considerable period of time was indicated further by the high level of antibody in the blood of two children who showed immune response at the time when vaccination was attempted. One of these had been vaccinated at least a year previously, with a take leaving an inconspicuous sear, and the other had had clinical smallpox one year previously.

The egg-protection method, while admittedly gross, is sufficiently quantitative and objective to give definite results, and is considerably superior to other biological methods which have been used in the past. The passive-protection technic proved somewhat more delicate than the serum-virus neutralization-method.