Induction of chronic lethal Australia antigen hepatitis in mice.

Clinically, idiopathic uveitis may be associated with chronic active hepatitis B. In searching for a possible cause of the uveitis in 6 patients having concurrent chronic iridocyclitis and chronic active hepatitis with serum Australia antigen (AA), the aqueous humor from each patient was analyzed for AA, passed through 220-mmu filters and inoculated directly into the livers of mice. The animals were observed for spontaneous mortality for 12 months, at which time the remaining animals were sacrificed. The livers of all animals were examined for hepatitis and AA. Although the aqueous humor from only 1 patient was found to contain AA, all six aqueous specimens produced a lethal viral hepatitis-like disease with liver AA. The results suggest that the six positive aqueous specimens contained a viral infection agent, which may have been the core of the Dane particle, and that the mouse is suitable for the laboratory investigation of Type B hepatitis by the technique described.