A Technic for the Recovery of Viruses from Crude Feces

Abstract

Summary

Using an infusion broth diluent containing 10 mg streptomycin and 2 mg tyrothrycin per ml, it was possible, by injection into the yolk sacs of 6-7-day-old embryonated eggs, to recover free from bacteria: psittacosis, influenza or mumps viruses from suspensions of fresh feces to which they had been added. The diluent had no apparent injurious effect on these viruses.

P-aminobenzoic acid was found to counteract the inhibitory action of sulfadiazine allowing for the recovery of psittacosis virus when the virus was suspended in materials containing the sulfonamide and injected into eggs. The injection of the p-aminobenzoic acid could be delayed up to 24 hours when injected in 1 mg amounts after a virus suspension containing 10 mg of sulfadiazine. In a similar series of experiments it was found that 15 mg cysteine hydrochloride would overcome the inhibitory action of l000 U penicillin on psittacosis virus when given as long as 24 hours after the virus suspension containing this antibiotic. These antagonistic compounds made it possible to recover psittacosis virus from materials containing large quantities of sulfadiazine or penicillin in spite of the fact that this strain of psittacosis virus is known to be susceptible to much smaller quantities of each of these therapeutic agents.

This technic was useful in the isolation of virus from the intestines of mice infected with psittacosis virus and may find application in the isolation of viruses from the gastrointestinal tract of other animals or man.