Clinical and Laboratory Studies on Marmosets Experimentally Inoculated with Human Serum from Hepatitis Patients

Abstract

It has been reported that hepatic changes and abnormal liver function tests occurred in marmosets injected with human serum from acute infections hepatitis patients [DEINHARDT, F. et al., J. exp. Med. 125: 673, 1967]. Using the Barker agent supplied to us by Drs. DEINHARDT and HOLMES, we have confirmed and extended their experimental findings. Inoculated marmosets showed SGOT and SGPT elevations and hepatic parenchymal cell changes after an average incubation period of 20 days. Duration of acute hepatitis lasted for about 6–8 weeks. Although infected marmosets usually did not appear clinically ill, 5 out of 47 animals died during the acute stage of illness.

Relative neutropenia with lymphocytosis was seen in differential counts of peripheral blood in marmosets with acute hepatitis. Corticosteroids given during acute hepatitis did not appear to alter the clinical course favourably or detrimentally. However, feeding of alcoholic beverages to marmosets with acute hepatitis or during early convalescence resulted in exacerbation of hepatic enzyme elevations and deaths.

Recently we have recovered a similar agent (Lyddon) by inoculating marmosets with the acute serum collected from one of our hepatitis patients. The incubation period for initial passage was 2 months. On subsequent passages, the incubation periods were shortened to 19–21 days. There was suggestive evidence from rechallenge studies that antigenic differences might exist between the Barker and Lyddon agents. (Supported by NIH Grant HD 02567.)

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