Abstract
That the normal portal of entrance of poliomyelitis virus is the olfactory nerve is now well established. 1 It is also clear from recent studies 2 that the administration of specific immune serum does not afford significant protection against subsequent intranasal instillation of monkeys with poliomyelitis virus. The relative ineffectiveness of immune serum may be attributed to the fact that the terminals of the olfactory nerve are so situated that they cannot be effectively guarded by immune plasma. Once established in a nerve the virus travels to its destination in the medulla and cord by axonal paths, 3 quite safely out of reach of immune substances in the plasma. Recent attempts at active immunization against this disease have also proved disappointing in that the injection of vaccines results merely in the production of humoral antibodies, with no significant increase in resistance to virus administered by the intranasal route. 4 In the face of this impasse it becomes necessary to seek a practical solution of the poliomyelitis problem in other directions.
In May, 1935, shortly after launching our present studies, Armstrong and Harrison 5 reported protection in monkeys following intranasal instillation of a 4% solution of alum. Their observations have recently been confirmed and extended by Sabin, Olitsky and Cox, 6 who add that protection is also afforded by 4% tannic acid. We wish to report similar results with picric acid, p-nitrophenol, trinitrocresol and mercurochrome.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.