STUDIES ON THE NATURAL INFECTION OF RATS WITH THE KILHAM RAT VIRUS1

Abstract

Robey, R. E, D. R. Woodman and F. M. Hetrick (Univ. Maryland, College Park, 20742). Studies on the natural infection of rats with the Kilham rat virus. Amer. J. Epid., 1968, 88: 139–143. —A high percentage of sera collected from both wild and laboratory strain rats had detectable HI antibody to the Kilham rat virus. The ubiquitous distribution of the virus was also indicated by its isolation from 18 different tissue specimens taken from 5 apparently normal Sprague-Dawley strain rats. The need for several “blind” passages of the specimens before detection of the virus was probably due to the small amount of virus present in the tissues or to reactivation by dilution and passage of virus-antibody complexes. Attempts at direct demonstration of the virus in rat tissue concentrates were unsuccessful.