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Studies on the Prevention of Mumps¹

V. The Development of a Neutralization Test and Its Application to Convalescent Sera

From The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Division of Virology, Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine and The Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.

Abstract

Studies have been reported which led to the development of a reliable and reproducible neutralization test for mumps in the chick embryo, employing serial dilutions of inactivated serum and constant amounts of virus. Slight variations in the concentration of test agent fail to influence significantly the results in that a 1000-fold increase in mumps virus reduces the serum titer by only 10-fold.

Convalescent sera showed a wide variation in neutralizing titers, ranging from 1:8 to greater than 1:2000. Analysis of serial sera from individual patients revealed that maximal levels were ordinarily attained within 3 weeks, and remained at this level for several months before a gradual decline was detected. Subclinical cases exhibited similar titers. Exceptional patients may develop only low levels of neutralizing antibodies.

A comparison of neutralizing, complement-fixing (V and S antigens) and hemagglutination inhibiting titers failed to reveal correlations. The ratios of neutralizing and complement fixing titers varied over a 1000-fold range, those of neutralizing and hemagglutination inhibiting titers over a 40-fold range. These variations were of an order far greater than could be accounted for on technical grounds and the suggestion has been offered that the various technics measure different antibodies.

The fact that one or the other antibody may fail to appear in the serum of convalescents from mumps, offers a practical diagnostic problem which has been discussed.

Footnotes

¹ This investigation was conducted under the sponsorship of the Commission on Immunization, Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, and was supported by the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army.

² Research Fellow, National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service.