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EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON THE ETIOLOGY OF TYPHUS FEVER : III. FILTRATION EXPERIMENTS
1Laboratories of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
The typhus virus retains its infectivity after guinea pig tissue disintegration. This suggests the virus may exist extracellularly, as filtration attempts failed.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- The typhus virus is an intracellular pathogen.
- Understanding the typhus virus's location within host tissues is crucial for disease control and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the infectivity of typhus virus after physical disruption of host cells.
- To determine if the typhus virus can exist in an extracellular state.
Main Methods:
- Guinea pigs were experimentally infected with typhus.
- Tissues (brain, spleen) were collected during peak disease.
- Tissues underwent various disintegration methods: freezing/thawing, freezing/desiccation, mechanical crushing, grinding with sand.
- Disintegrated tissues were tested for infectivity.
- Filtration attempts using Berkefeld V and N candles were performed on disintegrated tissues.
Main Results:
- Typhus virus maintained infectivity after all tested disintegration methods.
- The virus remained as infectious as in untreated tissues.
- All fourteen filtration attempts through Berkefeld candles failed to remove the virus.
Conclusions:
- The typhus virus can retain infectivity after significant physical disruption of host cells.
- These findings support the possibility of an extracellular phase for the typhus virus.
- The virus's inability to pass through Berkefeld filters suggests a large particle size or aggregation.
