title: Multigenic control of virus virulence in intertypic recombinants of herpes simplex virus.
abstract: The virulence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 x type 2 intertypic recombinants was determined following infection of corneas of outbred New Zealand White rabbits. None of the four recombinants was as virulent for rabbits as type 1 parent. All the four recombinants having an insert of type 2 virus genome between 0.35 and 0.576 map units (m.u.) and/or 0.82 and 1.00 m.u. exhibited intermediate virulence between their type 1 and type 2 parents. The results indicate that intertypic recombinants are moderated in their virulence independent of their parental virulence and therefore there exists a multigenic control of HSV virulence.
authors.affiliation: MRC Virology Unit, Institute of Virology, Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Batra
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000209:etiology; D011817:Rabbits; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics