THE EFFECTS OF DETERGENT‐TREATMENT ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA ANTIGEN POSITIVE PARTICLES

Abstract
On treatment of a serum positive for Australia antigen, with increasing concentrations of the detergent Tween 80, an advancing disintegration of the Australia antigen particles can be demonstrated. It is noteworthy that the Australia antigen tubules, after having passed a stage of periodical constrictions of approximately 20 nm, eventually disappear completely, while the 20 nm spherical Australia antigen particles remain. The Dane particles (42 nm) showed increasing destruction of their outer, Australia antigen containing membrane, finally releasing a 27 nm particle with “capsomere‐like” structures on its surface. At the highest detergent concentration utilized (0.5 per cent), no particles could be demonstrated in the specimens. The 27 nm particles were aggregated by sera containing no Australia antibodies or antigen, drawn from patients who had previously undergone virus B hepatitis. It is concluded that the 20 nm Australia antigen particles may be a secondary phenomenon produced by a detachment mechanism from the tubules, only the latter being actually produced in connection with virus replication.