STUDIES ON THE AGENT OF INFECTIOUS HEPATITIS

Abstract

Two agents have been isolated from patients with infectious hepatitis (IH) in 2 widely separated outbreaks of the disease by transfer of acute-stage serum and stool filtrates to and passage in tissue cultures of rabbit liver cells in roller tubes and minced chick embryos. The 6th, 8th and 10th passage tissue culture of the Akiba strain and the 10th passage of the New Lisbon strain proved infectious for man in that hepatitis without jaundice occurred in the majority of the volunteers. The Akiba strain was then passed further in the chick embryo using the amniotic route and after 3 such transfers again induced hepatitis in volunteers. This material represented a dilution of 10" 20 of the original seed. Of 6 convalescents of the "culture virus disease" none developed illness when challenged 6-8 months later with natural virus whereas 5 out of 6 controls developed hepatitis, 2 with jaundice. All attempts to develop a specific serol. test have failed thus far.