Although non-A, non-B hepatitis agents cannot be detected by serologic means, they can be experimentally transmitted to chimpanzees and marmosets. These species have been useful in determining the infectivity titers of various plasmas that contain non-A, non-B virus. Although most plasmas contain only 100-1000 infectious units per ml, one plasma was found to contain over one million infectious units per ml. This plasma has provided an inoculum suitable for characterization of the agent. We have recently demonstrated that at least one non-A, non-B agent contains essential lipids, a characteristic that will be important in the classification and, probably, the control of non-A, non-B hepatitis.
