Purification of a soluble gel precipitating antigen of rubella virus and antibody responses to the purified antigen

Molecular biology of rubella virus

This chapter summarizes the present medical significance of rubella virus. Rubella virus infection is systemic in nature and the accompanying symptoms are generally benign, the most pronounced being a mild rash of short duration. The most common complication of rubella virus infection is transient joint involvement such as polyarthralgia and arthritis. The primary health impact of rubella virus is that it is a teratogenic agent. The vaccination strategy is aimed at elimination of rubella and includes both universal vaccination of infants at 15 months of age with the trivalent measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and specific targeting with the rubella vaccine of seronegative women planning pregnancy and seronegative adults who could come in contact with women of childbearing age, although it is recommended that any individual over the age of 12 months without evidence of natural infection or vaccination be vaccinated. Medically, the current challenge posed by rubella virus is to achieve complete vaccination coverage to prevent resurgences.

Demonstration by immunoelectro-osmophoresis of precipitating antibodies to a purified rubella virus antigen

The nonionic detergent Triton X-100 was used to extract antigens of rubella virus from infected tissue culture cells. Three virus-specific antigens were demonstrated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis by using a pool of human gamma globulin as antiserum. The most dominant of these antigens were purified by ion-exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose. This antigen was of glucoprotein nature and had slow electrophoretic motility and low binding capacity to diethylaminoethyl-cellulose. Thus, it seems likely that the antigen is identical with the precipitating antigen of rubella virus designated b-antigen or tro-osmophoresis with precipiting antibody in sera obtained from patients recovering from acute postnatal rubella. The precipitin reaction that could be correlated to the hemaglutination-inhibition titers of the same sera appeared 12 days after onset of the disease and remained positive for several years.