[The immunity generated in white rats vaccinated with strains of the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus]. / Immunitet, sozdavaemyi u belykh krys, vaktsinirovannykh shtammami virusov venesuél'skogo éntsefalomielita loshadei.

The existence of virulence gradient in the main members of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus complex (VEE) was established by subcutaneous inoculation of immunologically competent outbred rats weighing 50-70 g. The virulence of the strains may be judged by a parameter such as the weight of the animal in 5 or 10 days after inoculation. The highest degree of protection was observed in the animals immunized with strain 15, the least in those immunized with strain 230. The above results indicate that adult white rats may be used as a model for the evaluation of the efficacy of protective preparations against viruses of the VEE complex.