IMMUNIZATION OF GUINEA PIGS WITH A MODIFIED STRAIN OF LYMPHOCYTIC CHORIOMENINGITIS VIRUS

A strain of choriomeningitis virus which was highly virulent for guinea pigs, as isolated from a naturally infected white mouse, has been markedly attenuated for guinea pigs by serial intracerebral passage through white mice. The change of virulence occurred before the 8th serial passage. The modified virus as a rule produces fever in guinea pigs but no other symptoms, and the infection is followed by a very solid immunity. Parallel passages of the same strain through guinea pigs have maintained its high virulence for this species but slightly reduced its pathogenicity for mice. These observations indicate that the differences in virulence for guinea pigs noted before (1, 2) with different strains of choriomeningitis virus obtained from infected stock mice may be due not only to differences in the susceptibility of guinea pigs but also to variations in the virulence of the virus. A marked degree of resistance was demonstrable in several guinea pigs on the 4th, 8th, and 10th day after injection with modified virus, when antivirus could not yet be detected in the serum. Circulating antivirus appears therefore to play a secondary part in their immunity, which seems to be closely associated with the tissues as in mice.