The relation between pathogenicity and plaque size of Getah virus Kanagawa strain in suckling mice

The relation among biological properties, particularly pathogenicity for suckling mice, and plaque size was studied in four virus strains: Getah virus strain Kanagawa; two strains obtained by plaque cloning of the Kanagawa strain, Getah Kanagawa SP (G-K-SP) strain which forms small plaques (SP) only and strain G-K-LP which forms large plaques (LP) only; and strain Haruna which forms SP only. There were no marked differences among the four strains in serological properties, growth curves and sensitivity to pH, trypsin and temperature. Strain G-K-LP showed higher pathogenicity for suckling mice than strain G-K-SP. However, the pathogenicity of strain Haruna, which forms SP only, was as high as that of strain G-K-LP. Some of the clones in SP of strain Kanagawa kill all mice in 5 to 6 days after inoculation while the others required 9 to 11 days or longer before causing death. The present study showed that the pathogenicity of Getah viruses shortly after being isolated from the field, such as the Kanagawa strain, is different between large and small plaques, and even among small plaques, at least in suckling mice, and that the pathogenicity has no relation to plaque size.