Abstract
ISATIN β-thiosemicarbazone has been found to have a very powerful chemotherapeutic effect in mice infected intracerebrally with the IHD strain of neurotropic vaccinia virus1, and will give complete protection against death after infection with doses of virus as high as 100,000 LD502. The compound is inactive against ectromelia infection in mice, however3, and it is therefore of interest to investigate its action against other members of the pox group. The present work was carried out with the Utrecht strain of rabbit-pox virus4, presented by Dr. E. A. Boulter, of the Microbiological Research Establishment, Porton. In view of the similarity of this virus to vaccinia and the uncertainty as to its origin, a preliminary investigation was undertaken to ascertain whether it does in fact differ in biological characteristics from the IHD strain of neurovaccinia used in previous work. That a distinction does exist was shown by the failure of rabbit-pox virus to kill mice of weight greater than 15 gm. when inoculated intracerebrally. Differences were observed also in tissue culture. Propagation of both viruses in the cell strain ERK I5 yielded fluids of high titre; but whereas the cytopathic effect of neuro-vaccinia consisted of granularity and swelling of individual cells followed by rounding and detachment from the glass, that of rabbit-pox virus manifested itself as the formation of syncytial sheets of cells which later became filled with large vacuoles.
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BAUER, D., SHEFFIELD, F. Antiviral Chemotherapeutic Activity of Isatin β-thiosemicarbazone in Mice infected with Rabbit-pox Virus. Nature 184, 1496–1497 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1841496b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1841496b0
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