[Protective effect in the serum of rabbits inoculated with BHK-21 cells infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus].

The present investigation was developed to determine the presence of protecting effects in the serum of rabbits inoculated with BHK 21 cells infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus, subtype C2. The rabbits received 252 mg. of antigens harvested 60, 65, 75, 90, 120 and 210 minutes post infection. These antigens were inactivated with two procedure: formaldehyde 0.015% and beta-propiolactone 0.2% and were inyected with incomplete Freund's adjuvant; the last inoculations were given with live antigen without adjuvant. The immunization period lasted approximately for six months. A seroprotection test in suckling mice was performed with each antiserum. The antisera corresponding to 75, 120 and 210 minutes post infection had protector effect. But antisera obtained with BHK cells at 75 minutes showed highly significant protective effect, as compared with the other two sera.