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Six schedules of immunization of rabbits, guinea pigs and rats for production of antirhinovirus immune sera were studied. Sera with virus-neutralizing antibody titers of 1:1000 to 1:50,000 were obtained in rabbits immunized into popliteal lymph nodes. The resulting sera had high titers of antibody to cell components and neutralized the cytopathic effect induced by heterologous strains. Sera from which cell components had been absorbed showed strict type-specificity in the neutralization and indirect immunofluorescent tests. A mixture of sera has been shown to be useful for identification of rhinoviruses by the immunofluorescent procedure.

In the period of 1971--1973 in Moscow, 85 strains of rhinoviruses (types IB, 14, 20, 27, 33, 48, 56, 60 and 69) were isolated from patients with respiratory diseases. In March-May 1971 in one administrative district of Moscow, from ambulatory patients with ARD rhinoviruses of types 48 (24 strains) and 27 (8 strains) were predominantly isolated. An outbreak of diseases due to these two types appeared to have occurred. From children rhinoviruses were isolated not only from nasopharyngeal washings. From 3 children they were isolated from the lower respiratory tract (from the blood collected before his death due to staphylococcal sepsis. Surveys for virus-neutralizing antibody to 17 rhinovirus serotypes in 10 lots of gamma globulin prepared in different towns of the Soviet Union revealed wide spread of rhinovirus types IB, 13, 18, 31 and 32 limited spread of types 17 and 42 and moderate spread of types 2, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 22, 24, 48 and 53.

In January--May, 1971, detection of rhinoviurs infections among ambulatory patients with respiratory diseases in Moscow was carried out in parallel by virological and immunofluorescent methods. Rhinovirus infections were virologically confirmed in 13% out of 238 patients. By the indirect immunofluorescence technique, rhinovirus antigens of serotype 17 were detected in 2.2% out of 220 patients, of type 1B in 4.3% out of 183 patients, of type 48 in 5.6% out of 123 patients and of type 7 in 4.6% out of 86 patients. The use of immunofluorescence supplemented the results of virological examinations and increase the effectiveness of aetiological diagnosis of rhinovirus infections.

Virological, serological and immunofluorescence studies revealed circulation of rhinoviruses of the strains 1A, 1B, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16-23, 27, 29-33, 42, 48, 53, 56, 60 and 69 on the territory of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. According to virological results, type 48 predominated and was followed in frequency of occurrence by types 27, 14 and 16 in the USSR and 30, 1A and 31 in the CSSR. RV infection in adults with ARD diseases was the aetiology in 28.5% of cases. Among the causative agents of acute rhinitis, rhinosinusitis and otitis, rhinovirus infection makes up a large proportion. Interrelation has been found between rhinovirus infection and chronic inflammation of the mucosa of the nose, the accessory sinuses and the ears. Prolonged course of rhinovirus infection and isolation of the virus in the late stages of disease (1-4 months after its onset) support the presumption that rhinoviruses promote chronicity of inflammation. RV was isolated from patients with chronic pneumonia from the lower respiratory passages (bronchial secretion). Rhinoviraemia was found in a child who died of ARD.

The appearance of the antigen of rhinovirus strains 1059 (type 14), 56822 (type 42) and B 632 (type IB) in human embryo fibroblast cell subculture was demonstrated by the fluorescent antibody technique at 4 to 6 hours postinfection when the input multiplicity of infection was 5 TCID50 per cell.