Abstract

After allantoic injection of chick embryos with a known amount of influenza virus, the process of adsorption of the agent onto host cells and infection of them can be interrupted at a given time by the administration of large quantities of heterologous virus inactivated by irradiation. A sudden great increase in the amount of free virus in the allantoic fluid occurring after 6 hours in the case of the PR8 strain, and 9 hours in that of the Lee strain, indicates that the untreated virus associated with the host cells has multiplied. The length of the period preliminary to this increase remains the same even though the concentration of the original inoculum is varied over a wide range. Since administration of the irradiated virus leaves no susceptible host cells, because of the interference phenomenon, and further adsorption of active virus is minimized or entirely prevented, practically the entire new increment of virus can be found in the allantoic fluid and assayed; for every ID(50) adsorbed about 50 ID(50) are released. Homologous irradiated virus, on the other hand, when injected after infection of the allantoic sac, reduces the yield of virus to a more or less considerable extent. Some inhibitory effect can still be observed when the homologous irradiated virus is given several hours after infection. This effect is linked to the virus particle and destroyed by prolonged irradiation.