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Summary Normal guinea pig serum lacking detectable antiviral antibody inactivated influenza B virus via the classical complement pathway [12]. This virus inactivation appeared to result from the steric hindrance of HA activity by the association with the virus of serum proteins presumed to be complement components. Trypsin digestion of the associated proteins fully restored the HA activity but not infectivity. It was found that the virus underwent minor disruption of the envelope and degradation of M1 protein and genomic RNA.