Effects of equine infectious anemia virus on hematopoietic progenitors in vitro

Direct effects of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) on hematopoiesis in vitro were studied. Bone marrow mononuclear cells from clinically normal horses were incubated with 100 TCID50 of EIAV/10(7) cells. These cells were cultured to assay for colonies derived from erythroid progenitors, granulocyte/monocyte progenitors, and fibroblastic progenitors. The EIAV had a selective suppressive effect on the erythroid progenitors. Colony-forming units-erythroid were suppressed to 80% of that for medium controls (P = 0.011). Burst-forming units-erythroid were suppressed to 70% of that for medium controls (P = 0.003). Significant effect was not apparent on colony-forming units-granulocyte/macrophage or on colony-forming units-fibroblastic.