Isolation andCharacterization ofanEquine Rotavirus

A rotavirus, designated astheH-1strain, wasisolated fromadiarrheic foal in primary African greenmonkeykidney cells andMA104cells. Thiscell cultureadapted strain hemagglutinated erythrocytes ofhumangroup0,rhesus monkeys, guinea pigs, andsheep. Itwasfound tobesimilar, ifnotidentical, toporcine rotaviruses (strains OSU,EE,andA-580) byplaque reduction neutralization and hemagglutination inhibition tests, and,inaddition, itwasfoundtobelong to subgroup 1.Thisequine rotavirus hasanRNA electrophoretic migration pattern whichwasdistinct fromthoseofthethree strains ofporcine rotavirus. The serological relationship established byplaque reduction neutralization andhemagglutination inhibition tests between theequine (H-1) andporcine (OSU,EE,and A-580) rotaviruses isanexample ofarotavirus ofthesameserotype being isolated fromdifferent species. TheH-1strain wasdistinct fromfourhumanrotavirus serotypes (Wa,DS-1,P,andSt.Thomas4)aswellasfrombovine rotavirus NCDV,simian rotavirus MMU18006,andcanine rotavirus CU-1byplaque reduction neutralization tests. Thisequine isolate (H-1) wasfoundtoberelated antigenically tocanine CU-1andbovine NCDVrotaviruses inaone-way fashion byhemagglutination inhibition tests.