IMMUNIZATION EXPERIMENTS WITH SWINE INFLUENZA VIRUS

Abstract

1. Swine influenza virus obtained from the lungs of infected ferrets or mice, when administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously, immunizes swine to swine influenza. 2. Ferrets, which have received subcutaneous injections of swine influenza virus obtained from the lungs of infected ferrets, are immune to intranasal infection with this virus. Similar injections with virus from the lungs of infected mice or swine do not immunize. 3. Mice can be immunized to intranasal infection with swine influenza virus by the subcutaneous injection of virus obtained from the lungs of infected mice, but not by similar injection with virus from the lungs of infected ferrets or swine. Repeated injections induce greater immunity than a single one. 4. Intraperitoneal inoculation of both mice and ferrets with swine influenza virus immunizes them to intranasal infection and it appears to make little or no difference whether the virus used as vaccine is obtained from the lungs of infected mice, ferrets, or swine. 5. Field experiments in which swine influenza followed the intramuscular administration of virus are cited as examples of the hazard involved in the use of this means of immunization in a densely crowded susceptible population.