Abstract
Summary
Micro-immunodiffusion and immunofluorescence techniques were used to study cross-reactions between human and animal sera, and antigen preparations from herpes-type virus (HTV)-infected human cell cultures and similar preparations from cultures derived from chimpanzee blood. The latter cultures are infected with a morphologically similar virus. The immunodiffusion techniques used were previously shown to be sensitive and specific for detection of precipitating antibodies in human sera to culture-derived antigens associated with HTV infection. Some human sera, which showed multiple precipitins in homologous testing, appeared to react with a chimpanzee antigen component common to both antigen preparations. Sera from eight of nine chimpanzees reacted in homologous immunodiffusion tests, and some reacted with the human preparation showing reactions of identity with human sera. No other animal sera appeared to react specifically in immunodiffusion with either antigen. It is suggested, on the basis of these and other studies, that the two viruses are antigenically distinct but share common antigens.
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