Abstract
THE term 'Virulence' has sometimes in the past been regarded as an intrinsic property of an infecting agent ; that such a view is not entirely in accord with our knowledge of natural and experimental infections was apparent from the discussion on the nature of virulence at the meeting of the Society for Microbiology held in London on December 20. As virulence can only be measured in terms of the effect on the host by a micro-organism, using that term in its widest sense, it is obvious that the interaction between the micro-organism and host by which we estimate virulence will depend on many variables affecting both participants. Much of the discussion related to these variables and their effect on virulence. A very wide field was covered, contributions on the virulence of bacteria, of fungi and of viruses for both plant and animal hosts and of the parasitic protozoa being made by various speakers. It was generally accepted that multiplication of an infecting agent in the body of the host does not alone determine virulence, and that the term 'Virulence' necessarily implies structural or functional damage to the tissues of the host.
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NATURE OF VIRULENCE. Nature 159, 427–428 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159427a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159427a0