title: Establishment of an agamid cell line and isolation of adenoviruses from central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).
abstract: A cell line was established from whole 6-8-week-old central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) embryos. Cells were mid-sized and showed an elongated and polymorphic form. The cell line grew in a monolayer and has been serially passaged for 17 passages at time of publication. This cell line has been used with samples from adenovirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive bearded dragons, and 2 virus isolates have been obtained so far. The isolates show a clear cytopathic effect in inoculated cells. Both virus isolates have been serially passaged on this cell line, and have been identified by PCR amplification and sequencing of a portion of the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase gene and show 100% nucleotide identity to the corresponding region of an agamid adenovirus. Electron microscopic examination of supernatant from infected cells demonstrated the presence of nonenveloped particles, with a diameter of approximately 80 nm in both virus isolates.
authors.affiliation: 1Inna Ball, Fachgebiet für Umwelt und Tierhygiene, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany. inna-ball@gmx.de.
authors.forename: Inna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoferer
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Marschang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D046808:Atadenovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000502:physiology; D008116:Lizards / Q000196:embryology / Q000821:virology*; D012692:Serial Passage; D013045:Species Specificity; D014776:Virus Cultivation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Atadenovirus; fibroblasts; lizards; virus isolation