Attempts to passage the virus of non-specific urethritis.

During 1950-52 various methods were used in an attempt to find evidence for or against the theory that non-specific urethritis is due to a virus. A total of 234 skin tests for lymphogranuloma venereum (Willcox, 1954a), and psittacosis and catscratch fever (Willcox, 1954b), are reported below, with 412 complement-fixation tests for lymphogranuloma venereum (Macrae and Willcox, 1953) and 323 complement-fixation tests for enzootic abortion in ewes (Willcox and Stamp, 1954). The object of these studies was to determine whether patients with non-specific urethritis showed any cross-reactions when tested with antigens of the lymphogranuloma venereum-psittacosis-trachoma group of viruses. The findings, with the exception of some of the skin tests, which require confirmation, were negative. A second approach to the problem was made by the examination of 1,463 Giemsa-stained specimens obtained from the urethra of patients with nonspecific urethritis, from their female consorts, and from controls, to assess the significance of various red and blue bodies seen in the specimens (Willcox, Howard, and Findlay, 1954). Although certain bodies were seen in a significant number of patients with non-specific urethritis and not in controls it was realized that the controls were persons with ' dry ' urethrae. When recentlytreated gonorrhoea cases were used as controls the difference in incidence was no longer significant and it was concluded that the bodies seen were not concerned with the causation of non-specific urethritis. The third approach, which forms the basis of this paper, was by means of inoculation of material into baboons, guinea-pigs, mice, and eggs.