Site of suppression of Banzi viral replication by an antiviral factor released from Aedes albopictus cells persistently infected with Banzi virus.

The ability of the antiviral factor present in culture medium of Aedes albopictus cells persistently infected with the flavivirus, Banzi virus, to inhibit the replication of Banzi virus was examined. The anti-Banzi viral factor did not inhibit the uncoating of the virion. Levels of viral RNA were markedly reduced in mosquito cells treated with the antiviral factor. Syntheses of negative-strand and of positive-strand viral RNA species were inhibited to approximately the same extent. This inhibition was virus-specific in that the anti-Banzi viral factor had no effect on the synthesis of viral RNA in mosquito cells infected with either Japanese encephalitis or Eastern equine encephalitis viruses. The anti-Banzi viral factor inhibited the in vitro Banzi viral RNA synthesis but not that of Eastern equine encephalitis virus or of Japanese encephalitis virus.