Virus of the 1918 influenza pandemic era: new evidence about its antigenic character.

In serums of unusually isolated Pacific islanders whose only exposure to influenza occurred during the era of the 1918 pandemic the residual neutralizing antibody was greatest to the PR/8 and BH strains of human type A influenza virus, significantly lower to swine influenza virus, and absent to equine or later human type A virus strains. The pandemic virus was thus antigenically closer to human type A strains isolated during the middle 1930's than to other known influenza virus types.