Detection of border disease virus in sheep efferent lymphocytes by immunocytochemical and in situ hybridisation techniques.
The prefemoral efferent lymphatics of four sheep persistently infected with a non cytopathic (NCP) isolate of border disease virus (BDV) were cannulated. Recovered lymphocytes were examined for the presence of virus by an immunocytochemical technique employing a pool of monoclonal antibodies which recognise the 120K non-structural polypeptide of NCP BDV. The results revealed that 9.5% of the lymphocytes carried virus antigen. Lymphocytes from two of the sheep were studied by in situ hybridisation using a viral antisense RNA probe complementary to the region of the BDV genome coding for the 120K polypeptide. This showed that 70-80% of the cells were infected, confirming the greater sensitivity of the in situ hybridisation technique.
Entrican
G
G
Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, U.K.
Flack
A
A
Hopkins
J
J
MacLean
M
M
Nettleton
P F
PF
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D018083:Border disease virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012756:Sheep
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D012367:RNA, Viral