THE SIMULTANEOUS OCCURRENCE OF THE VIRUSES OF CANINE DISTEMPER AND LYMPHOCYTIC CHORIOMENINGITIS

Abstract

A particular strain of canine distemper, long maintained by serial passage in dogs and ferrets, was found to contain the virus of lymphocytic choriomeningitis in addition to that of distemper. The presence of two viruses was demonstrated by the simultaneous production of distemper in the ferret and a fatal disease in mice and guinea pigs (not susceptible to distemper) and by passage in monkeys by means of which the distemper was lost. The identification of the distemper was by clinical and histological criteria, of the choriomeningitis by the nature of the disease in mice, monkeys and guinea pigs, the development of neutralizing antibodies in monkeys injd. with the source material, the neutralization of the source material virus pathogenic for guinea pigs by known serum and by the nature of inclusion bodies. Both viruses appear to have been maintained in dogs and ferrets for 21/2 years. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis in the dog and ferret is asymptomatic but injd. animals are infectious and react serologically.