HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McKee, A. P. Articles by Hale, Wm. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by McKee, A. P. Articles by Hale, Wm. M.

Reactivation of Overneutralized Influenza Virus in Chicken Embryos¹

From the Department of Bacteriology, College of Medicine, State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Abstract

Introduction. What happens to the influenza virus during interepidemic periods has been the source of considerable speculation. As is the case with some other infections, the possibility of human carriers also has been considered. The unequivocal demonstration of human carriers of the influenza virus, however, as yet awaits presentation.

McKee and Hale (1), tentatively accepted the theory that the detection of influenza carriers may be missed because the virus in nose and troat washings is overneutralized by antibody in the secretions as the virus is liberated from the parasitized cells. They employed concentrated, heat-inactivated, homologous virus as the agent of reactivation and were able to reactivate influenza virus that was overneutralized as much as five hundred times. The criterion of neutrality was a mixture of virus and its specific antibody which could not be reactivated by dilution, papain-digestion, or serial mouse passage.

Footnotes

¹ This investigation was aided in part by the Commission on Influenza Board for the Investigation and Control of Influenza and other Epidemic Diseases in the Army, Office of the Surgeon General, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.