The Egg-White Inhibitor of Influenza Virus Hemagglutination

Abstract

Summary: Semipurified egg-white inhibitor was treated for various periods with influenza virus A (PR8 strain), B (Lee strain), or the swine influenza virus and the effects were tested with heated derivatives of each of the 3 viruses. The existence of an inhibitor gradient, written PR8, Lee, Swine, was established, such that each virus was capable of destroying completely the inhibitor for itself as well as for the preceding virus or viruses, but only partially the inhibitor for the virus or viruses which follow it in the gradient. The same gradient appeared to describe the order of increasing inhibition titers of untreated inhibitor against the corresponding heated viruses, as well as the order of increasing apparent complexity of the changes induced by active virus in the character of the inhibition curve. The results have been interpreted in terms of the structure of the inhibitor and the mechanism of destruction of the inhibitor by virus.