Susceptibility of laboratory and domestic animals to experimental infection with Potiskum virus.
The biological characteristics of Potiskum virus, a hitherto undescribed virus isolated in Nigeria from the liver of a giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus), were studied by experimental infections of laboratory and domestic animals. The laboratory animal hosts used included mice, rats, rabbits and chicks. Suckling and weaning mice succumbed to fatal infection when infected with Potiskum virus by intracerebral or intraperitoneal routes. Infected mice had high titres of virus and mild histopathological lesions which were confined to the brain. Chicks also developed a fatal disease following subcutaneous or oral infections with Potiskum virus. In contrast, albino rats and rabbits failed to succumb to overt disease by subcutaneous and intraperitoneal routes of inoculation. Albino rats did not develop antibody but rabbits developed haemagglutination inhibiting, neutralising and complement fixing antibodies.
Omilabu
S A
SA
Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Fagbami
A H
AH
Olaleye
O D
OD
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002645:Chickens; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D014036:Togaviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014766:Viremia / Q000662:veterinary; D014886:Weaning
D000914:Antibodies, Viral