Studies on the variola virus

• Main Author: Wells, Dorothy Gwynne Tompkinson
• Published: Imperial College London 1967
• Subjects: 571
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.622982

The broad aspect of the growth of vatiola virus in human polls has been considered from a biological point of view. A general discussion and review of the literature on the subject of smallpox and the forms it which the disease exists today summarises the background against which this present study was undertaken. The experimental work embodies a comparison of the behaviour of variola major and variola minor strains in human cells, bearing in mind the possibility of finding new markers for the biological characterisation of variola virus strains. The comparison was made by investigating the growth patterns of the International Reference Strains of variola major (Harvey) end Minor (Butler). The progress of cytopathic effect and production of infections virus, complement-fixing antigen, diffusible antigen and haemagglutinin, and the development of virus DNA and antigen in situ in cells infected by the two variola strains were compared. Particular attention was paid to the effect of incubation temperatures ranging from optimal to non-permissive for virus growth (35° - 41° C) upon the synthesis of virus products.