THE RELATION OF THE CONCENTRATION OF UNADAPTED AND ADAPTED INFLUENZA VIRUS IN THE MOUSE LUNG TO THE DEATH OR SURVIVAL OF THE INFECTED HOST

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Abstract
When either the mouse-unadapted or mouse-adapted line of the Cam strain of influenza A prime virus was inoculated intranasally into mice, the death or survival of the infected animal seemed to depend on the concn. of virus attained in the lungs rather than on the amt. of multiplication of the agent in that tissue. The 2 lines did not differ greatly in respect to the concn. that was associated with death, but the adapted line possessed the capacity to multiply to a higher concn. in the mouse lung then the unadapted line. The latter finding seems to explain the difference in the mouse virulence of the 2 viruses. The results as a whole suggest that the concn. of influenza virus in the lungs which is associated with the death of mice can be attained in either of 2 ways: when a large amt. is inoculated, the quantity introduced may, by itself, present a lethal concn.; or when lesser amts. are inoculated, the lethal concn. may be attained as a result of virus multiplication. In the former case the amt. of virus required to kill the animal is apparently less than in the latter case. This tends to indicate that the production of pulmonary lesions in mice that are inoculated intranasally with influenza virus depends to a greater extent on the extracellular virus, presumably adsorbed to the cell surfaces, than it does on the intracellular virus.

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