OCCURRENCE OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS IN AUTOPSIES, PATIENTS, AND CONTACTS

Abstract

1. Poliomyelitis virus has been recovered in monkeys from 50 per cent of spinal cords, 10 per cent of olfactory bulbs, 50 per cent of tonsil-adenoid tissue, and from 26 per cent of the colon contents of autopsies; from the stools of 20 per cent of patients, and of 5 per cent of the contacts examined in this series. 2. Other materials as indicated in Table I were tested without success. 3. In autopsies with positive cords, tonsil-adenoid tissues, or colon contents were positive in 73 per cent. 4. 22 per cent of stools from patients with paralysis yielded virus and 19 per cent of the stools from patients without paralysis yielded virus. 5. 20 per cent of the stools from males and 22 per cent of the stools from females yielded virus. 6. 40 per cent of 35 stools from patients under 16 years yielded virus while 8 per cent of 38 stools from patients above the age of 15 yielded virus. 7. 71 per cent of the cords of 35 autopsies under 16 years yielded virus while 31 per cent 16 years and over yielded virus. 8. Repeat stools from 5 positive cases, 1 month after the first positive stool, were negative. The stool of one contact was positive the 2nd month after first recovery but was negative the 3rd month.