A COMMUNITY STUDY OF RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN THE TROPICS II. THE SPREAD OF SIX RHINOVIRUS ISOLATES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY1

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Abstract
Monto, A. S. (The Univ. of Michigan Schl. Public Health, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48104) and K. M. Johnson. A community study of respiratory infections in the tropics II. The spread of six rhinovirus isolates within the community. Amer. J. Epid., 1968, 88: 55 68.—Six rhinovirus strains, isolated in the course of a study in the Panama Canal Zone, were tested against a group of paired sera collected eight months apart. The prevalence of neutralizing antibody in the initial specimen for each of the virus types was found to follow an age-specific pattern similar to that previously described for rhinoviruses in the temperature zone. The activity of the virus strains during the eight month period was studied serologically. Three strains had spread very extensively through the community. More than 47% of those individuals without initial antibody showed a conversion in their second serum specimen. Significantly fewer conversions were seen with the other virus types. The difference in conversion rates was unrelated to the prior antibody state of the community. The less actively transmitted strains were known to be highly immunogenic so that lack of antibody response could not explain the results. The differences might, therefore, be a manifestation of differing properties of the strains themselves. The serologic conversions were more frequently observed in the younger age groups. When age-specific conversion rates were calculated for those without initial antibody, the values remained within small limits from 5 to 19 years.