VIRUS NEUTRALIZATION EXPERIMENTS WITH ROSENOW'S AND PETTIT'S ANTIPOLIOMYELITIC SERA

Abstract

The Rosenow anti-streptococcic poliomyelitis serum, concentrated or unconcentrated, does not neutralize the virus of poliomyelitis as tested in monkeys. The Petit antipolio-myelitis horse serum neutralizes the virus only occasionally. "Immune" sheep sera prepared according to the method of Petit have not neutralized virus even when normal sera of the same animal have given neutralization. The reason for such chance neutralization is obscure and should not be confused with the constant virus-neutralizing action of both human and monkey convalescent sera. Experimental evidence affords no basis for use of either Rosenow or Petit sera in poliomyelitis therapy.