EQUINE HERPESVIRUSES: ON THE DIFFERENTIATION OF RESPIRATORY FROM FOETAL STRAINS OF TYPE 1

Abstract

SUMMARY Confirmation of the occurrence of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1) abortion in both epizootic and sporadic form epizootic in Australia for the first time in 1977 against a background in which a reasonably diligent search for such viruses during the preceeding 11 years failed to associate EHV1 with abortion, provided a special opportunity to compare the properties of the newly isolated foetal (F) strains with a collection of endemic respiratory (R) strains that had been recovered at fairly regular intervals since 1967. Using plaque size and host cell range all of 7 R strains tested were clearly distinguishable from 7 of 11 F isolates. The remaining 4 F strains had plaque diameters of R strains but 3 of the 4 viruses conformed in their host cell range with F strains. Only one F isolate (from Tasmania) had both plaque morphology and host cell range of R strain viruses. The mean diameter of plaques produced by R strains in equine foetal kidney (EFK) cells after 4 days under a methyl cellulose overlay was 1.52 mm (range 1.30–1.84 mm) while the mean diameter of small plaques produced by F strains was 0.82 mm (range 0.68–0.91 mm). In addition to EFK cells all R and F strains grew in an equine dermal (EDerm) cell line and all but two of 19 isolates grew in a pig kidney (PK) cell line. None of the low passage R strains grew in bovine embryo tracheal (EBTr) or feline embryo (FEmb) cells whereas all but one of 11 F isolates grew in EBTr cells. 8/11F isolates also grew in FEmb cell line. Growth of viruses at 33° and 40.5° cf. a usual growth temperature of 37° was of no detectable value in differentiating R and F strains of EHV1. In a limited geographic and time frame the criteria of plaque size in EFK cells and growth in EBTr cells unambiguously distinguished between R and F isolates and represent simple markers worthy of additional study.