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Nonspecific Antiviral Substances in Human Milk Active against Arbovirus and Murine Leukemia Virus¹

Life Sciences Division, Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, California 94025

Forty-three individual human milk samples obtained 2 weeks to 17 months postpartum were divided into five large pools. These plus three large individual human milk samples obtained 2 and 5 months postpartum were tested for antiviral activity against Japanese B encephalitis virus, Friend leukemia virus, and Rauscher leukemia virus. All milk samples had a high degree of antiviral activity against the three viruses. The bulk, if not all, of the antiviral activity appeared to be in the cream fraction and was remarkably heat stable. Heating the milk to temperatures up to 100° for 30 min had no effect upon its ability to destroy the infectivity of Japanese B encephalitis virus or inhibit the ability of Friend leukemia virus to induce splenomegaly.

¹ This work was supported in part by a research and development grant from Stanford Research Institute and by USPHS Grant CA-07868 from the National Cancer Institute.

Received 11/28/73. Accepted 12/26/73.