[Improved method of determining the infectivity of the influenza virus]

The infectious activity of influenza A virus preparations with different ratios of unsplit (HA) and split (HA1 + HA2) hemagglutinin was studied. For this purpose the virus was cultivated in chick embryos (the virus with split hemagglutinin), chick fibroblast culture (unsplit hemagglutinin) and in chick fibroblast culture to the medium of which chick embryo allantoic fluid was added (partially split hemagglutinin). Proteins were analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by the scanning of the gels. An improved plaque method in cell cultures under the agar overlay was used to assay the infectious activity of the virus preparations. This method gave more accurate determinations of the infectious titre of the preparations tested. The routine titration method gave higher infectious titres of the preparations particularly for the virus with unsplit hemagglutinin. Employing the new method, a ratio of infectious and physical particles in preparations with different HA/HA1 + HA2 contents was determined and the productive activity of cells of the chorioallantoic membrane in chick embryos and chick fibroblast cell cultures infected with influenza virus was evaluated.