Abstract
To facilitate an in vitro study of bluegill lymphocystis virus, a new cell line was established from the fins and caudal tissue of bluegill sunfish and designated BF-W. Bluegill lymphocystis virus was accurately and reproducibly assayed by an enlarged-cell enumeration assay and was propagated in BF-W cell cultures to give maximum titres of about 106 cell-enlarging units/ml in 21 days at 25 °C. The infectivity titre of preparations of bluegill lymphocystis virus was not affected by ultrasonic treatment, freezing and thawing, or long-term storage in maintenance medium at -70 or +4 °C, but decreased during storage at -20 °C in 50% glycerol. The infectivity of virus preparations was reduced by treatment with diethyl ether. Virus cultured in BF-W cells was entirely cell-associated and the growth of virus was completely inhibited by 1 mM-5-BrdUrd.
* Present address: Virology Department, Booth Hall Children's Hospital, Blackley, Manchester, U.K.