AIR BORNE POLIOMYELITIS

Excerpt

The epidemiology of human poliomyelitis has recently directed attention largely to the presence of the virus in feces and sewage and to the growing conviction that infection with poliomyelitis virus is. usually by way of the alimentary tract. The demonstration by Faber and his associates¹ of Stanford University of the ease with which the upper portions of the alimentary tract of monkeys can be penetrated by the virus has intensified this concept. A modification of this belief will presumably follow recent studies of the virus content of nasopharyngeal secretions of clinical cases and attempts to infect experimental animals with air borne virus. Up to five years ago, out of 287 clinical trials the virus of poliomyelitis had been isolated but 29 times from the human nasopharynx.² Paul₃ concluded from such data that less than 6 per cent of the poliomyelitis patients had viable virus on the nasopharyngeal