Viral encephalomyelitis of pigeons. IV. Growth of the virus in tissue cultures.

Growth and cytopathogenicity of pigeon herpes encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) in avian and mammalian cell cultures were investigated. The virus was cytopathogenic to all avian primary cell cultures tested and produced large syncytia with intranuclear inclusions. Viral antigen was detected in the nuclei of infected cells 6 hr postinoculation. Infective virus, however, was obtained 8 hr post-inoculation. Maximum virus yields in avian cell cultures were reached 72 hr postinoculation. In mammalian cell lines tested, the virus proved to be cytopathogenic except in swine embryo kidney cell lines. The cytopathic effect in mammalian cell lines was characterized by the rounding and clumping of cells., Moderate virus yields were obtained with lamb kidney and bovine embryo thymus cell lines, but not with other cell lines tested. Growth behavior of the virus in cell cultures in comparison with other human and avian herpesviruses is discussed.