Further Studies of Specificity of Antibodies Contained in Antiserum against Poliovirus

Abstract

Antigenic components of Mahoney strain (poliovirus type 1) involved in virus neutralization reaction were analyzed with mutant Mahoney strains resistant to inhibitors in equine serum (inhibitor-resistant mutants) by means of the kinetic neutralization test. Absorption of [rabbit] anti-Mahoney serum with 5 inhibitor-resistant mutants yielded sera with different antibodies, of which 3 had distinct specificities and 2 specificities possibly partly related to 1 of those 3 sera. Stepwise selection of Mahoney variants resistant to 1, 2, 3 and 4 different inhibitors resulted in gradual deviation of its antigenic composition from that of the original strain. The possible presence of 3 distinct antigenic determinant sites on the surface of Mahoney strain was indicated.