In Vivo and in Vitro Studies of Serological Specificity among Viruses of the Psittacosis-Lymphogranuloma Venereum Group

Abstract

Summary The serological specificity of the direct and indirect complement-fixation, serum neutralization, conglutinating complement absorption (C.C.A.T.), and hemagglutination-inhibition tests for viruses of the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma venereum group was compared in tests with rooster, human, rabbit and pigeon sera. Purified elementary body, purified lipid, hemagglutinating (meningopneumonitis) and phenol-enhanced antigens prepared from psittacosis, ornithosis (including meningopneumonitis), LV, feline pneumonitis and mouse pneumonitis viruses were used. The rooster antisera were group-specific in the indirect complement-fixation test. This was in contrast to the sharp specificity which these same sera showed in serum neutralization tests. The hemagglutination-inhibition tests with rooster and pigeon sera and the conglutinating complement absorption tests with human, rabbit and pigeon sera all gave group-specific reactions. Group-specificity was likewise shown in the direct complement-fixation tests with human, pigeon and rabbit sera when phenol-enhanced and lipid antigens were used. Minor antigenic differences, however, were evident when the rabbit and certain of the pigeon sera were tested with purified elementary body antigens. These differences were neither sufficiently consistent nor great enough to be of practical value in differentiating the viruses of the group.