Studies of the Hemolysis of Red Blood Cells by Mumps Virus

Evidence from microscopic studies indicates that hemolysis caused by the mumps virus hemolysin is a chemical type of hemolysis. Chromatographic analyses of the reaction mixture of erythrocytes and mumps virus following hemolysis indicate that hemolysis is not due to the action of a lecithinase A and that lysolecithin does not play a part in this process. The alteration of a component of the erythrocyte similar to sphingomyelin suggests that some of the phosphatides other than lecithin may be either directly or indirectly affected in the process of hemolysis of red blood cells by the mumps virus.