Studies with Live Attenuated Measles-Virus Vaccine

Introduction Alteration of man's response to measles infection by parenteral administration of serum containing specific antibodies was first described by Nicolle and Conseil.1Since 1918, several reports have confirmed the effectiveness of convalescent measles serum in the prevention of this disease as well as its usefulness in the therapy of measles during the preeruptive phase.2-5Placental extracts were found to be at least as effective as human convalescent serum in aborting measles.6Similarly, the concentration of antibody from normal human serum in Cohn's Fraction II, composed primarily of gamma globulin,7yielded a product with potent measles-preventive activity. Evaluation of the protective and attenuating action of human gamma globulin in several large groups of susceptible children exposed to measles revealed the effectiveness of concentrated antibody.8,9Furthermore, it was proposed on the basis of these studies that modification of measles could best be accomplished if globulin were