The Size of Coxsackie Viruses and Lansing Poliomyelitis Virus Determined by Sedimentation and Ultrafiltration

Summary The sizes of 6 members of the Coxsackie, or C, group of viruses, representing 4 antigenic types, have been determined by filtration through gradocol membranes and by sedimentation in the ultracentrifuge. Filtration end points and sedimentation constants were measured by following the activity of the infectious particles. The Conn.-5, Ohio-1, High Point, and Texas-1 C viruses and the Lansing poliomyelitis virus are of comparable size: 15 to 23 mμ according to filtration data and approximately 24 to 32 mμ from sedimentation data. By optical analysis in the sector cell of the ultracentrifuge, the purified Texas-1 strain yielded a value of about 33 mμ. These results are also in agreement with those found by electron microscopy of purified Texas-1 strain. The TT strain (Type 1) yielded a value of 7 to 10 mμ from the filtration experiments and of about 27 mμ from the sedimentation data. The complement fixing antigen was found to sediment at about the same rate as the infectious particle for the High Point strain.