Isolation of San Miguel Sea Lion Virus from Samples of an animal food product produced from northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) carcasses.
A virus was isolated from California sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus) and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) in 1972. It was later named San Miguel sea lion virus (SMSV). State and federal livestock disease control agencies became concerned, because SMSV was found to be indistinguishable from vesicular exanthema of swine virus and to cause (in laboratory trials) clinical signs in swine similar to those produced by vesicular exanthema of swine virus. Ground carcasses of northern fur seals, salvaged after harvesting pelts, are fed to mink on ranches in the United States. Domestic swine are kept on some of these same ranches. Samples withheld from lots of this seal carcass mink food were found to contain SMSV (serotype 5) in titers of 10(6.1) and 10(6.8) tissue culture infective doses.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D010872:Caniformia / Q000382:microbiology*; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D005516:Food Microbiology; D010849:Picornaviridae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D046070:Sea Lions / Q000382:microbiology*