Poliomyelitis and Other Antibody Patterns in Natives of Tahiti and Raiatea

[摘要] In 1951, the island of Tahiti experienced its first recorded epidemic of poliomyelitis. An unusual feature of the outbreak was the age distribution of cases, the majority being in the 10-to 24-year age group, with relative sparing of young children. The present study is concerned with attempts to designate the type of virus responsible for the epidemic, and to determine if serological tests could shed any light on the problem of the age distribution of cases.The evidence obtained by virus isolation, and by results of neutralizing and CF antibody studies of convalescent cases, points to a type 1 epidemic. The patterns of neutralizing and CF antibodies in normal individuals suggest that the population had not been exposed to this type of virus for a number of years, that a high proportion of those under 20 to 29 were infected during the outbreak, but the infection reached clinical levels chiefly in older children and young adults. Those over 30 were spared presumably because of previous infection, and the possession of low level neutralizing antibodies.The presence of neutralizing antibodies to all three types of poliomyelitis viruses in all age groups indicates that these agents have been prevalent on the islands in the past, although no epidemic had been recorded previously.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）