Effect of Lecithin, Cholesterol and Gardiolipin on Mumps Virus Hemolysin.

Abstract

Summary 1. Lecithin, cholesterol, and cardiolipin reduce the activity of mumps virus hemolysin when present prior to but not after the combination of virus and erythrocyte and their inhibitory effects at minimal concentrations were shown to be additative. Lecithin does not affect the hemagglutinating activity of the virus, but the effects of cholesterol and cardiolipin cannot be ascertained as they agglutinate erythrocytes per se. Pretreatment of erythrocytes with lecithin but not with cholesterol or cardiolipin at 37°C rendered them less susceptible to lysis by mumps virus. 2. These results present additional evidence for the separate identity of the viral hemolysin and the viral hemagglutinin and suggest that, in the erythrocyte cell wall, lecithin and cholesterol may be important constituents in its reaction with the viral hemolysin.