Occurrence and Recovery of the Virus of Infantile Paralysis from Sewage

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Abstract
Recent work has served to place poliomyelitis among the intestinal diseases. Principles for control may turn out to be somewhat similar to those that have been employed with success in typhoid fever or dysentery. These measures do not seem justifiable at present because of limited knowledge and because of certain differences between poliomyelitis virus and Escherichia coli. These differences are that poliomyelitis virus is so much more stable and is more resistant to chemicals. Further, there is no assurance that the methods used successfully to purify and disinfect material contaminated with typhoid bacilli, for instance, will be successful for poliomyelitis virus. We are quite in the dark as to the control of any virus disease which is also an intestinal disease, and in the control of poliomyelitis our ignorance remains profound. Among other things, we still have to wait for more knowledge regarding the significance of insect vectors and the existence, particularly during epidemics, of other possible extra-human carriers of the virus, such as mammals or birds.

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