The hemagglutination (HA) of ECHO-6 virus and the utilization of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) for diagnosis were investigated with virus isolates and sera from some patients involved in an epidemic of infection with this virus in Toyama in 1965.
1. MK-passed in virus showed a maximum hemagglutination and cytopathic effect (CPE) 5 or 6 days, and infectivity 2 days after inoculation, while HEL- or HEK-passed virus showed a maximum hemagglutination and infectivity only 1 or 2 days and CPE 3 days after inoculation.
2. The loss of hemagglutinating activity and, in general, quite a distinct variation in HA titer were observed among such strains as passed through MK cell cultures. Only 28 strains (58.33%) out of 48 showed positive HA after 3 passages in MK cell culture. In contrast, no loss of HA was observed among strains passed through HEL or HEK cell cultures. The rate of HA-positive strains increased gradually with the advance in passage. Finally only 2 out of the 48 strains were negative for HA after 3 passages in HEL or HEK cell culture.
3. The mean HA titer after 3 passages in MK cell culture was only 3 times that of the primary culture, whereas that after 3 passages in HEL or HEK cell culture was 15 times.
4. Fifteen HA-positive and 3 HA-negative strains were identified as ECHO-6 virus by the hemagglutination-inhibition and the neutralization and the neutralization test, respectively.
5. The hemagglutination-inhibition test with patient's sera was a useful method for diagnosis in the early stage, since relatively high HI titers were observed in convalescent sera.
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