Generalized Immunoassay for Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Infectivity In Vitro

A quantitative in vitro immunoassay for the infectivity of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus was developed and performed in six different lepidopteran cell lines. The assay was not dependent upon cytopathic effect or polyhedron production, but rather upon viral antigen production and its recognition in a peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining procedure. The importance of using such an assay for accurately assessing infectivity in cell lines which produce polyhedra inefficiently was demonstrated. Differences among the cell lines in sensitivity to viral infection were clearly shown. Differences in the time required to produce infectious progeny were also noted among cells of the same cell line.