Lipovirus antibody in human and animal sera was surveyed using the newly devised sensitized erythrocyte agglutination and complement-fixation tests. The following pertinent results were obtained: 1. 1. Fifty-nine per cent of 332 serum samples from the general population in the Boston area were positive for lipovirus antibody. The highest incidence of positives occurred in the 5- to 9.9-year-old group (83%) and the lowest in the 1-year-old group (33%) and in those over 40 years of age (24%).2. 2. The incidence of positives as well as the antibody titers in 28 infectious hepatitis patients belonging to two noninstitutional epidemics, and in five sporadic cases, were significantly higher than those of the nonhepatitis patients of comparable age.3. 3. In the Ely, Nevada, hepatitis epidemic, the incidence of positives or antibody titers were not higher than in the nonhepatitis population.4. 4. No lipovirus antibody was demonstrated in the sera of two serum hepatitis patients.5. 5. Sera from 27 guinea pigs, 10 white Swiss mice, 6 rats, 6 hamsters and an unknown number of calves were negative for lipovirus antibody. One of 56 rabbit sera gave positive SEA test. Five of 27 chick sera were positive in the SEA test; the agglutination was, however, weak and inconsistent. Four of nine horse sera agglutinated lipovirus-sensitized erythrocytes at dilutions of 1:160 to 1:640, but their CF antibody titers were low.It is concluded that the lipovirus is a common infectious agent of man or is antigenically related to a common human pathogen, and that the lipovirus is immunologically related to an agent capable of causing infectious hepatitis in man.
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