Robert L. Magoffin

Immunological relationship between herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses demonstrated by complement-fixation, neutralization and fluorescent antibody tests.

Summary The antigenic relationship between the viruses of varicella-zoster and herpes simplex was studied by complement-fixation, fluorescent antibody staining and neutralization tests. Twenty-three of 75 patients with herpes simplex infections showed significant heterologous increases in complement-fixing antibody titre to varicella-zoster virus. These heterologous increases occurred in patients with serological evidence of a prior infection with varicella-zoster virus, and the greatest proportion occurred in patients in the younger age groups who had probably experienced the most recent varicella-zoster virus infections. Five of 42 patients with varicella-zoster infections showed heterologous complement-fixing antibody responses to herpes simplex virus; all were patients with serological evidence of a prior herpes simplex virus infection. The patients with herpes simplex infection who showed heterologous complement-fixing antibody responses to varicella-zoster virus also showed marked increases in neutralizing antibody and antibody demonstrable by immunofluorescent staining. However, none of the patients with varicella-zoster infection who showed heterologous increases in complement-fixing antibody titre to herpes simplex virus had significant increases in neutralizing antibody.

The Price virus: an unclassified enterovirus isolated from patients with central nervous system disease.

Summary Six immunologically related viral strains have been recovered from the stools of patients with CNS disease. Neutralization tests indicate that they are not polioviruses, group A or group B Coxsackie viruses, ECHO virus types 1-28 or one of 4 ECHO candidate strains. The human origin of these agents is evidenced by the fact that 5 of the 6 patients with isolations showed 4-fold or greater rises in neutralizing antibody to these viruses. The several strains possess the characteristics of human enteroviruses, i.e., ether resistance, particle size, and production of a characteristic “enterovirus cytopathic effect” in monkey kidney cell cultures. All of the strains could be adapted to growth in HeLa cells. They are not pathogenic for suckling mice, and do not agglutinate human group O, chicken or guinea pig erythrocytes. Addendum Since this paper was submitted for publication, information from Dr. H. A. Wenner, as well as the results of tests performed in this laboratory, indicates that the Bastianni, PR-17 and Frater viruses (enterovirus candidates) are related to the Price virus.