Neutralization of Silkworm Jaundice Virus by Human Serum

Abstract

IT is well known that immunized rabbit serum neutralizes the virus of silkworm jaundice, but there seems to be no information on the effect of human serum. Human sera were obtained from people working on silkworm jaundice virus and from others. Supernatant fluid from the infected larval blood was used as the virus solution. Usually the pupæ injected with about 5–1,000 ml. of 10⁻⁶ diluted infected larval blood all died from jaundice. The diluted virus solution and an equal volume of the serum or distilled water were mixed and maintained at room temperature for 30 min. After this treatment, about 5–1,000 ml. of the mixture was injected into healthy silkworm pupæ, which were observed for 10 days¹.