[An experimental study of immunity to hepatitis A in monkeys]. / Eksperimental'noe izuchenie immuniteta k gepatitu A na obez'ianakh.

In this work the experimental model of hepatitis A on monkeys, adequate to human hepatitis A, was used. Ten monkeys (6 Macaca mulatta and 4 Cercopithecus aethiops) were reinfected with different doses of hepatitis A virus (HAV) a year after recovery from spontaneous and experimental hepatitis A. The monkeys were completely resistant to the inoculation of the virus in moderate doses (10(3) ID50). The inoculation of HAV in large doses (10(4)-10(5) ID50) induced a mild form of this infection in the animals with a transient rise in the level of serum alanin aminotransferase and HAV shedding in feces, but in the absence of morphological changes in the liver. It should be specially pointed out that after the reinfection of monkeys virus shedding in feces was observed, which may be of great epidemiological importance. After reinfection the absence of IgM and a pronounced rise in the titers of IgC antibodies were observed.

[A trial of a hepatitis A cultured inactivated vaccine on rhesus macaques]. / Ispytanie kul'tural'noi inaktivirovannoi vaktsiny gepatita A na makakakh rezusakh.

In this work experimental model of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection in macaques rhesus was used. In 6 seronegative monkeys immunized with the inactivated vaccine (3 injections of 0.3 micrograms of viral protein each at an interval of 1 month) pronounced antibody response was observed. The dynamics and titers of anti-HAV antibodies were similar to those in 5 rhesus macaques which received the active virus. But, in contrast to the latter, no IgM antibodies were detected in the immunized animals. Three months after the end of immunization the monkeys were resistant to challenge with a HAV strain pathogenic for humans (10(3) - 10(4) ID50). The monkeys had no morphological changes in the liver and no rise in the serum alanine-amino transferase activity, but exhibited transient excretion of the virus in feces, as well as stimulation of anti-HAV antibodies (in the absence of IgM antibodies). The vaccine under test proved to be safe, immunogenic and produced a protective effect.