SINCE the demonstration by Shelokov et al1 of hemadsorption of myxovirus infected cell cultures, this phenomenon has been used for the isolation and study of a variety of hemagglutinating viruses. Although rubella virus has been shown to possess hemagglutinating activity,2 the adherence of erythrocytes to cell cultures infected by rubella virus has not been previously described. In contrast, there have been reports suggesting the opposite.
Infection by rubella virus has been shown to inhibit nonspecific tissue hemadsorption of aged guinea pig erythrocytes on a continuous cell culture of rabbit kidney,3 and the interference of rubella virus with superinfection by Newcastle disease virus has been demonstrated by hemadsorption-negative areas on the cell culture.4 While the exact classification of rubella virus is still being debated, notable similarities exist between the growth characteristics, morphology, and hemagglutinating properties of rubella virus and various arboviruses.5 The finding of virus-specific hemadsorption