Poliomyelitis Lansing antibodies in three population groups in Israel.

A study has been made of the age-distribution of neutralizing antibodies against the Lansing strain of poliomyelitis in three groups of the population of Israel. Two groups were chosen from the local population, and the third consisted of new immigrants from Yemen. Altogether 392 sera were examined, and the distribution of Lansing antibodies was found to be similar in the three groups. In the Yemen group and in one of the Israeli groups, 50% or more of the sera examined contained Lansing antibodies from the age of two years onwards; while in the second Israeli group this figure was reached at the age of three years. In the higher age-groups, 90-100% of the sera were Lansing positive. A correlation existed between the age specific rates of poliomyelitis during the 1950 epidemic in Israel and the age-distribution of Lansing antibodies found in this study. Comparative figures for Egypt and other parts of the world are discussed.