SCIENTIFIC - MEDICINE, VIRUS DISEASES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210068-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2002
• Sequence Number: 68
• Publication Date: March 4, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE NGENZY-_
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Monthly periodical
Moscow
May 1952
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SOURCE
The scientific conference which took place on 9 April 1952 at the Insti-
tute of Microbiologjf, Academy of Sciences USSR, dealt with the problem of the
systematization of viruses. V. L. Ryzhkov, corresponding member of the Acad-
emy of Sciences USSR, discussed the previous attempts at systematization of
viruses which had been reported in contemporary literature and proposed his
own scheme of systematization.
As was brought out in Ryzhkov's report, the systematization of viruses 1a
rendered more difficult because of incomplete knowledge of viruses, and also
because of differences of opinion on a number of theoretical problems. Ryzhkov
asked if it were possible to systematize viruses, as plants and animals have
been systematized. Those who consider viruses as biocatalysts, or, in other
words, enzymes, will, of course, give a negative reply, he said, He said that
many investtgatbrs continue to maintain that virises originate spontaneously in
the organism under the influence of disturbance of metabolism. After objecting
very definitely to this approach, Ryzhkov reminded the audience that he had
asserted, as early as 1942, that the idea of evolution is applicable even to
the simplest viruses. Much later, Bernet; starting from the same ecological
premises, advanced the idea that all viruses must be regarded as organisms. In
1947, Ryzhkov applied the concept of species to virus nucleoproteids. Ryzhkov
now considers it possible to unify all viruses, notwithstanding their diversity,
into 3ne type referred to by him as the Ivanovskya type.
Ryzhkov further stated that lately there has been a tendency, which is
obviously idealistic, to divide viruses into small ones and medium-sized ones,
on the one hand, and large ones on the other. This is the classification of
Troll. In the opinion of Ryzhkov, Troll is afraid of the idea that unifying
all viruses into a single type would give a grandiose picture of successive
gradations leading to increasing complexity of life processes. To this concept,
Ryzhkov said, Troll attempts to oppose the assertion that viruses of small and
medium sizes are ordinary cheudIal substances and are fundamentally different
from large viruses which are organisms. According to Ryzhkov, Troll openly
states that, in his opinion, unification of viruses into one type represents a
danger to the doctrine of eternal life.
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Byzhkov objected to the general subdivision of viruses into viruses of
animals, viruses of higher plants, and viruses of bacteria. This subdivision,
he said, is not in accordance with the principals of scientific classification,
because no large.group of species is unified on the basis of the locality which
the.apec::es inhabit. Ryzhkov called' attention to the fact that adherents of
this cubdi'rision of viruses do not even attempt to define properties which dif-
ferentiate the viruses of the groups mentioned, besides the environment which
they inhabit. Finally, he said, the system in question does not reflect the
stages of evolution of viruses, because it unifies into one class viruses of
different degrees of complexity.
Ryzhkov said that the only complete system of viruses which has been advanced
hitherto has been proposed by Holmes, and bears a purely artifical and anti-
scientific character, because, in this system, viruses are not classified to-
gether on the basis of their own properties; hnt c the basin of symptoms which
thcy 1.i~uuCC. The nomenclature used by Holmes is characteristic in that it has
been drawn predominantly from the criminal jargon, Ryzhkov said. Viruses e?e
referred to as "villain," "murderer," "tramp," "executioner," etc., he added.
The reporter made an attempt to systematize viruses on the basis of their
own properties and the relationships which exist between viruses and higher
animals and plants. The Ivanovskya type is divided by the reporter into two
subtypes: Crystallobiotae and Plasmobiotae. He stated that viruses which do not
contain any lipoids belong to the first siibtype. In his view, the particles
of such viruses cannot be designated as protoplasts. Many of these viruses,
he said, are able to crystallize. The second subtype, according to Ryzhkov, is
characterized by the presence of lipoids in the majority of its representatives
and by the more complex structure of the particles, which may be regarded as
the simplest precellular protoplasts.
The subtype Crystalloboitae is divided into two classes: Eucrystallinae,
to'which belong viruses which form genuine crystals, such as the classical. virus
of the mosaic disease of tobacco, and Pseueocrystallinae, to which belong viruses
which produce more complex crystal-like formations, such as the polyheders in the
chlorosis of butterflies.
The subtype Plasmobiotae is divided into three classes: Gamaleiae,
Arthropodophillae, and Chlamydozoa. To the first class belong viruses which,
are known at present as parasites of bacteria and actinomycetes (bacteriophages
and actinophages). Characteristics of the second class are its connection with
arthropod transmitters, predominant occurrencein wild animals and pl;xnts of the
forest and steppe, a content of yeast nucleic rather than tymonuclo-~ acid, and
the relatively small size of the virus particles. Representatives of the Jhlamy-
dozc.a class are transmitted by contact infection. These viruses are parasites
predominantly infecting humans and domestic animals. The particles of viruses
of this class are relatively large and contain thymonucleic acid.
Among representatives of the Arthropodopi:illae class are the viruses of
tick encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, at.d other encephalites, also the viruses
of the chlorosis group of diacases of plants ("atoibur," chlorosis of asters,
"witches' brooms" of potatoes, etc.). Various orders of the Chlamydozoa class
are represented by viruses of the group of psittacosis, smallpox, inrlnenza, etc.
Viruses of the Gamaleiae class are the oldest. They are parasites of
the lower plants, namely of Schizophyta. It is of fundamental importance that
viruses do not occur on fungi, aquatic plants, and some other groups of plants,
while a great variety of them suddenly appears in Angiospermae. In the animal
kingdom, viruses occur widely among arthropods, birds, and mammals and are little
known in other groups. This cannot be explained by the i.acomplete state of our
knowledge.
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Viruses of bacteria are well known, but we do not know of any viruses
affecting yeasts or mold fungi, althougi. the n .~obiologist deals with the latter
microorganisms to no lesser extent than with bacteria. Viruses of Angiospermae
are known, while viruses of Gymnoapermae are not known, although Gymnospermae
have been cultivated by the human race along with Angiospermae. What is known
about the distribution of viruses enables us to conclude that at least a part of
them is derived from bacterial viruses. Insects contain considerable amounts of
intracellular symbiotic bacteria, which could have originated from bacterial
viruses. Adaptation of the virus to the insects could easily occur in the body
of the insects. Similar adaptation could take place in the case of higher plants
and animals. It is obvious that this is only an acaumption which does not ex-
clude other opinions as to the evolution of viruses.
Data on the geographic distribution of viruses occasionally permit us
to establish relative age. Thnsc virucca which produce chloroses of plants origi-
...-`cl ary rentiy during the time when Australia was stall unified with other con-
tinents, in other words prior to the Jurassic era. The classical virus of the
tobacco mosaic disease originated in America after the separation of that conti-
nent from other land masses, and consequently must be regarded as relatively
young. Interesting data on viruses presumably could be obtained from paleonto-
logical studies. Of greatest interest is paleontological research on riruseo
which produce polyhedric diseases of insects.
Further, Ryzhkov touched. on the problem of the connection of viruses with
other precellular forms of life. He indicated that since 19W there has been a
traditional tendency to connect viruses with Rickettsiae. However, he rid,
although Rickettsiae are very close to bacteria, morphologically and physiologically
they are far removed from viruses. At present, it becomes obvious that the tradi-
tional tendency to associate viruses with Rickettsiae must be abandoned, he added.
Ryzhkov expressed the opinion that to understand the earliest stages of
life on earth, possibly much can be achieved by invectigating cystocetes 'ysto-
cytesJ, which are little known at present. He said that in this group of very
simply organized precellular organisms, one er.:ouaters parasites Lfor instance,
the causative factor of peripneumin'_a of cattl], as well as independently exist-
ing forms.
The systematization of viruses proposed by the reporter resulted in a lively
discussion on which N. D. Yelusalimskiy, V. I. Kudryavtsev, and Ya. 1. Rauten-
shteyn participated. It was noted that Ryzhkov did not touch on the problem of
species in viruses and the causes of the evolution of viruses. In the opinion
of those who participated in the discussion, the circumstance that the properties
of viruses have not been investigated thoroughly as yet forces us to classify
viruses not according to their properties, but according to the biological symptoms
which they produce in hosts. This led to objections on the part of the reporter,
who emphasized that, although viruses have not been investigated thoroughly enough,
knowledge of their properties is still sufficient to prevent confusion of the
classification of viruses according to their properties with the classification
according to virus diseases. This is a confusion of which Holmes has been guilty.
As far as the problem of t:.e species of viruses is concerned, Ryzhkov said that
a special study of this matter will be needed.
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