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Particle Agglutination Method for Poliovirus Identification
07:06

Particle Agglutination Method for Poliovirus Identification

Published on: April 20, 2011

A NOTE ON THE ETIOLOGY OF EPIDEMIC POLIOMYELITIS

H L Amoss1

  • 1Laboratories of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Minute microorganisms, termed globoid bodies, were cultivated from the central nervous system of poliomyelitis patients. These findings support the etiological link between these microorganisms and epidemic poliomyelitis.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Poliomyelitis is a serious neurological disease.
  • The causative agent of poliomyelitis has been debated.
  • Previous studies suggested a viral etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and cultivate the etiological agent of poliomyelitis.
  • To confirm the relationship between a specific microorganism and poliomyelitis.
  • To investigate the presence of this microorganism in infected hosts.

Main Methods:

  • Cultivation of globoid bodies from central nervous organs of infected humans and monkeys.
  • Incubation of poliomyelitic brain tissues in kidney-ascitic fluid culture medium.
  • Detection of microorganisms in blood films and brain tissue sections.

Main Results:

  • Globoid bodies were detected in incubated brain tissues, suggesting post-mortem multiplication.
  • A more certain method for obtaining cultures involved incubating and crushing tissues.
  • Identical bodies were found in blood films during the acute attack and in blood after intravenous virus inoculation.
  • No other microorganisms were detected in brain or blood samples.

Conclusions:

  • The observed globoid bodies are consistent with the etiological agent of poliomyelitis.
  • These findings support the proposed link between the minute microorganism and epidemic poliomyelitis.
  • The study confirms previous cultivation and inoculation experiments.

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