Viral Antigens in Human Epidermal Tumors: Localization of an Antigen to Molltjscum Contagiosum*

Only two of the epidermal tumors of man unquestionably result from a virus infection— warts and molluseum eontagiosum. Neither of these contains a potent antigen. Antibodies to warts, for instance, have not been demonstrated, and until recently the situation for molluscum contagiosum remained controversial; most workers had failed to find humoral antibodies (1, 2). Only Mitchell (3) observed complement fixing antibodies; these were of low titer in three patients. Using the technic of agar gel diffusion we recently demonstrated humoral antibodies in 43 per cent of 21 infected subjects (4). In the present investigation the gel diffusion studies were expanded; an additional number of patients were tested, and antibody formation was stimulated in laboratory animals. Also, the fluorescent antibody method of Coons was used: 1) as an extremely sensitive indicator of the presence of humoral antibody, and 2) to identify the tissue localization of antigen. The findings will be discussed in terms of their relationship to the formation of specific tumor antigens.