THE EFFECT OF EXTRACTS OF CERTAIN ORGANS FROM NORMAL AND IMMUNIZED ANIMALS ON THE INFECTING POWER OF VACCINE VIRUS

Brain and testicle tissue from immune rabbits brought in contact with the Levaditi or Noguchi strains of vaccine virus will fix or inactivate the virus. Extracts of normal testicles from susceptible animals enhance to an extraordinary degree the infectivity of both the neuro- and dermal strains of vaccine virus. The Noguchi virus is not affected by testicle extracts when injected into the skin, but kidney extract has a definite enhancing power on the strain when injected into either skin or testicle. The effect of tissue extracts seems to be on the cells of the host rather than on the virus. This is indicated by the fact that virus injected intravenously localizes most readily in an area of skin previously injected with testicle extract. Furthermore an enhanced lesion results if the virus is injected into an area as long as 3 days after the area has been injected with testicle extract. The augmenting substance of the tissue extracts is little affected by high dilutions, passes through a Berkefeld V candle and is carried down with the proteins precipitated by weak acids. Rabbits with enhanced lesions show general symptoms and about 25 per cent die with generalized vaccinia. Kidney, and probably skin, brain and liver extracts possess enhancing properties, but to a much less degree than the testicle. On the other hand, spleen, blood and probably lymph nodes and bone marrow not only fail to produce enhancement, but actually restrain or even suppress entirely the vaccinal skin infection.