The Virus Reference Laboratory (Report)

POLIOMYELITIS, ASEPTIC MENINGITIS AND ENCEPHALITIS, 1955, 1956 AND 1957. Paralytic Poliomyelitis. The laboratory diagnosis of poliomyelitis has been undertaken in the department since August, 1955. Our aim has been to receive specimens from all notified paralytic cases, and in practice, thanks to the co-operation of the physicians, we have received specimens from over (seems) 95 per cent. of them. Isolation of virus from a patient's faeces is the most rapid and certain method of diagnosing poliomyelitis and this technique has been used routinely. In certain cases serological tests have been done, but these are likely to give equivocal results, are expensive to perform and do not allow such a rapid diagnosis as virus isolation.