Abstract
Summary
Ether treatment of rubella virus “cell pack” antigen resulted in the production of specific sedimentable and non-sedi-mentable (“soluble”) complement-fixing preparations which were serologically indistinguishable when tested with convalescent human sera. The sedimentable antigen was found in the emulsion phase, while the “soluble” antigen was found in the aqueous phase. None of these antigens was found to be infectious in tissue culture. Prolonged and repeated ether treatments of the sedimentable antigen resulted in the release of more “soluble” antigen into the aqueous phase. Maximum “soluble” antigen liters were produced when crude cell pack antigen was ether treated at pH of 9. The rubella virus spedficity of the sedimentable and non-sedi-mentable CF antigen preparations were established. The non-sedimentable CF preparation was compared to myxovirus soluble antigen in the sense that this term was used to describe the internal CF antigen of the latter. The sedimentable rubella CF antigen was considered to be “soluble” antigen attached to or associated with cellular material.
The authors wish to express their appreciation to Dr. Robert Huebner for advice and encouragement, to the members of the CF laboratory, Section on Infectious Diseases, and especially to Mrs. Luanne Owens, Mrs. Nancy Tzan, Miss Jean Weber, Mrs. Pernell Crockett and Miss Nannette Ratner for technical assistance.
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