A filterable virus as a causative agent of epidemic hepatitis

Summary

In four patients suffering from epidemic hepatitis we succeeded in isolating from the blood during the fever period and from the urine during the jaundice, a filterable virus, which is pathogenic to the guinea pig and which can be inoculated to this animal in different ways, but by preference intraperitoneally. Fever, which sometimes lasts only one day, is the only morbid symptom observed in guinea pigs.

In these animals the virus can be shown in the organs and in the blood during the fever period; after that it is excreted with the urine during apparently a short period. The virus has been grown on the chorioallantois of the chick embryo so far during 20 passages. The virus is resistant to glycerol, drying and low temperatures, not to formaline and heating.

In the livers of the guinea pigs focal changes (degeneration, dissociation, necrobiosis, yellow liver-atrophy) may be found. After dulling through the disease immunity occurs, whilst in the serum of recovered patients and guinea pigs neutralizing antibodies can be detected.