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A phase contrast microprecipitin test with poliovirus antigens

I. Properties of the antigens and antibodies and optimum conditions for reaction

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Summary

A simple microprecipitin test employing phase contrast microscopy has been described for poliovirus antigens and antisera. The antigens, consisting of concentrates of the 3 types of poliovirus, exhibited typespecific reactions in high titer with rabbit antisera heated twice at 56° C for 30 minutes, heterotypic crossings occuring, if at all, only at low dilutions of the sera. Potent antigens were also obtained from attenuated virus strains. Highly purified Type 1 (Mahoney) virus (fraction D) reacted with rabbit antiserum in a similar manner as the crude virus concentrate. Heating of precipitin antigens of all 3 types at 56° C for 30 minutes resulted in almost complete destruction of their reactivity.

Positive precipitin reactions were not obtained with the serum of monkeys hyperimmunized with Type 1 poliovirus; with monkey antisera for Types 2 and 3 polioviruses positive reactions occurred only in a very limited zone, which disappeared after two repeated heatings at 56° C for 30 minutes.

Precipitin reactions were readily obtained with certain human sera. Heating of the human sera partly reduced their precipitin titers. Prolonged incubation of the reaction mixtures increased the precipitin titers.

Un concentrated virus from tissue culture fluids (monkey kidney, ERK) proved to be an unsatisfactory precipitin antigen in spite of its high infectivity titer.

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Author notes

  1. Hans J. Eggers M. D.

    Present address: The Rockefeller Institute, New York 21, N.Y.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children's Hospital Research Foundation, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

    Hans J. Eggers M. D. & Albert B. Sabin M. D.

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  1. Hans J. Eggers M. D.
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  2. Albert B. Sabin M. D.
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Aided by grants from The National Foundation, Inc.

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Eggers, H.J., Sabin, A.B. A phase contrast microprecipitin test with poliovirus antigens. Archiv f Virusforschung 11, 120–151 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01241253

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01241253

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