Clinical and Serological Response to Laboratory-Acquired Human Infection by Indiana Type Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV)

Abstract

Summary Clinical and serological responses to accidental human inoculation of a strain of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Indiana serotype, are described. Illness was characterized by fever, myalgia, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and mild leucopenia with relative lymphocytosis. Incubation period was 30 hours. No vesicular lesions were observed and clinical recovery was rapid and complete. Type-specific complement-fixing (CF) and neutralizing (N) antibodies were detected about 10 days after onset of symptoms and reached maximum values at 3 weeks. The CF antibodies declined rapidly and were not detectable 80 days after illness, but N substances persisted at a stationary level during a one-year period of observation. No measurable antibodies were formed to Cocal virus, a recently described new VSV serotype.