Evidence for a viral aetiology of Jembrana disease in Bali cattle

Jembrana disease is an acute infectious disease of Bali cattle (Bos javanicus) in Indonesia. High titres of the infectious agent are present in plasma during the febrile phase of the disease. The size of the agent determined by membrane filtration was between 50 and 100 nm, indicating it is a virus and not a rickettsia as previously proposed. Spherical virus-like particles of 75 to 130 nm diameter with a smooth membrane and frequently with an eccentric nucleoid were detected by electron microscopy in plasma from infected animals. The virus replicated in mononuclear cell cultures of peripheral blood origin but not in other cell cultures. The virus and the associated disease have characteristics consistent with viruses in the family Retroviridae.