COLD AND COLDS 



time when you get epidemics of cerebral spinal fever. I think 

 that seems to go in the Sudan and other regions around the Sahara, 



CAMPBELL: I would like to ask a fundamental question. It 

 has nothing to do with cold exposure, but in immunization to 

 viruses that seem like polio, you have to have the specific strain 

 to produce immunity. We are so conditioned with the pneumo- 

 coccus work in which the polysaccharide plays a major role 

 in infection. How do you envision the structure of a virus that 

 is so specific? There must be something in common with all 

 these strains of cold viruses, and if we had enough, you pro- 

 bably could show immunologically or serologically that there 

 were cross reactions, like the C substance in pneumococcus. 

 Do you envision a capsule or something around the virus ? 



ANDRE WES: Most of these viruses consist of nucleo- protein 

 core and the other protein outside, and in the case of the smaller 

 viruses, that is about all there is to it. We have found evidence 

 of a very slight amount of cross-reaction between some of these 

 colds. It is only very trivial, but there are small amounts, as 

 in the case of the pox group of viruses covering not only all the 

 animal poxes, but also myxoma and a number of others. It has 

 quite recently been shown by Japanese workers, and by Fenner 

 in Australia, that there is a common nucleo- protein antigen which 

 was overlooked for many years. I wouldn't at all think it im- 

 possible that a similar thing would be found with some of these 

 smaller viruses. Whether it would be of any use in inducing im- 

 munity would be anybody's guess. 



WALKER: Most commonly, this nucleo- protein represents the 

 common antigen of the group. It is not a protective antibody, 



CAMPBELL: Well, you could modify it some way. They must 

 have something in common. They like to live in the nose; diph- 

 theria likes to live a little further down, but both bacteria and 

 viruses, of course, are local; that's where you get the term 

 neurotropic and dermatropic. 



ANDREWES: We need to collaborate with an immunochemist. 



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