Abstract
Summary
A new antiviral agent with activity both in vivo and in vitro has been obtained from lambda infected E. coli.
A study of the antiviral activity of the lysate in chick embryo monolayers shows that this material is effective in completely suppressing both vaccinia and herpes simplex when added before and as long as 6 hours after infection, and the activity is retained by chick embryo monolayers that have been preincubated with the lysate and were washed thoroughly prior to infection.
The lysate does not block absorption of the virus, but rather inhibits intracellular replication. The activity of the lysate is not due to the infective lambda particle per se but to a soluble protein fraction.
In vivo, this material has significant therapeutic activity in the treatment of rabbit corneal ulcers.
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