[Experimental study of infectious hepatitis in guinea pigs].

The authors carried out a comparative study of morphological changes in the liver of guinea-pigs in various times following intraperitoneal administration of the serum taken from a patient with infectious hepatitis (1st group), administration of the serum in combination with the urine (2nd group), administration of the serum in combination with the patient's duodenal juice (3rd group), and administration of the serum in combination with a hepatic antigen prepared of the liver of a healthy guinea-pig (4th group). Observations over the behaviour of the animals and morphological investigations showed a high sensitivity of guinea-pigs to virus-containing materials. The reaction was particularly pronounced in animals which were given the serum taken from a patient with infectious hepatitis in combination with a hepatic antigen, and the microscopic picture of the liver almost similar to that of the patient with Botkin's disease. Moreover, in the course of the study it was found possible to re-inoculate the virus obtained from the guinea-pigs subjected to a combined exposure to the serum from a patient with infectious hepatits and hepatic antigen. Comparing the results of the study on guinea-pigs with those obtained previously in the experimental study of viral hepatitis on white rats (1970), the authors have come to the conclusion that guinea-pigs may be used for modelling and experimental investigation of Botkin's disease.