[A brief history and significance of the Czechoslovak army's Antiviral Serum Bank].

Abstract

The Virology Department of the Czechoslovak army, established in response to the need for a specific approach to biological threats, was initially subordinated to the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (founded in 1957), and later to the Central Military Medical Institute. Within this department, a systematic Virus Strain Bank was established that contained highly contagious viruses and bacteria used for diagnostic purposes and to develop defensive methods against biological threats. The preserved strains included viruses causing hemorrhagic fevers, encephalitis, yellow fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, as well as the variola minor virus. The Virus Strain Bank enabled testing of the capabilities to detect and identify dangerous agents, as well as the development of specific and neutralizing antibodies against them. It was therefore essential for defensive and diagnostic purposes in the context of protection against the use of biological weapons. Keywords: virus strains; viral infection diagnosis, biological threat.