AJTMH ASTMH Job Mart
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med., s1-21(1), 1941, pp. 75-90
Copyright © 1941 by American Journal of Tropical Medicine

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Smithburn, K. C.
Right arrow Articles by Paul, J. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Smithburn, K. C.
Right arrow Articles by Paul, J. H.

Bwamba Fever and Its Causative Virus

K. C. Smithburn, A. F. Mahaffy AND J. H. Paul
From the Yellow Fever Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda1

A clinical entity, Bwamba fever, believed to be hitherto unknown, is described. The disease is characterized by rather sudden onset, fever, headache and backache. Symptoms persist for about 5 to 7 days and subside without sequelae. Fatal cases of the disease have not been seen.

Nine strains of filterable virus were isolated from the blood of as many patients suffering from this illness. The original sera of these 9 patients failed to neutralize the virus, whereas convalescent sera of all the patients contained neutralizing antibody against the virus. Further immunological and biological tests indicate that the 9 strains of virus are related or identical.

The agent is pathogenic for, and causes death of, mice by intracerebral or intranasal inoculation. It causes non-fatal febrile illness when given intracerebrally to rhesus monkeys. Guinea pigs and rabbits are not susceptible to the virus. Monkeys and guinea pigs which survive inoculation with the virus develop neutralizing antibody.

The virus is filterable through Berkefeld filters of all grades (through the finer grades with some difficulty) and through Seitz EK pads. Experiments with filtration through gradocol membranes indicate that the size of the virus approximates 113 to 150 mµ.

Lesions caused by the virus in mice are essentially limited to the nervous system and are characterized by damage to cortical cells in various areas of the brain, and by the appearance of intranuclear acidophilic bodies resembling inclusions.

Certain other properties of the virus are described.


1 This Institute and work done under its auspices, are supported jointly by the Government of the Uganda Protectorate and the International Health Division of The Rockefeller Foundation.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1941 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.