STUDIES ON HOST-VIRUS INTERACTIONS IN THE CHICK EMBRYO-INFLUENZA VIRUS SYSTEM

Abstract

Experiments have been reported on the propagation of influenza viruses in the allantoic membrane of the developing chick embryo during the first infectious cycle. After adsorption of the seed virus onto the host cells, only a small percentage of it remains demonstrable by infectivity titrations. This amount remains constant for 4 hours in the case of infection with PR8 virus, and for 6 hours in that of infection with Lee virus. Thereafter, a sharp rise in infectivity occurs 2 to 3 hours before liberation of the new generations of active virus into the allantoic fluid can be detected. Injection of homologous virus, inactivated by ultraviolet irradiation, following infection prevents or delays the production of virus in the tissues, depending to some extent upon the number of ID50 of active virus used as inoculum. The smaller the dose, the more pronounced the inhibitory effect. With increasing delay in the injection of the inhibitor, progressively more virus is produced and liberated 6 and 9 hours after infection with PR8 and Lee virus, respectively. Thus, production of virus may be interrupted by the homologous inhibitor when given up to 3 hours after infection with PR8, and up to4½ hours after infection with Lee virus. Since no increase in infectivity can bedetected during these 3 and 4½ hour periods in the tissues, it is suggested that influenza virus propagates in at least two major stages: first, non-infectious, immature virus material is produced which, subsequently, is converted into the fully active agent. Presumably the first step can be interrupted by the homologous inhibitor, while the second cannot. Heterologous irradiated virus, injected after infection of the tissue, exerts only a slight inhibitory effect on the production of virus.