Unusual characteristics of a parvovirus isolated from a clinically ill steer

A parvovirus was isolated from the feces of an 8- and 9-month-old steer that died acutely with hemorrhagic diarrhea and microscopic evidence of a coccidial infection. The concurrent intestinal parasitism in this steer appeared to play a role in the development of clinical disease. The viral isolate was identified as a bovine parvovirus (BPV) on the basis of its size (22 nm) and icosahedral morphology, the neutralization of viral cytopathology by antiserum to BPV, a strong immunofluorescent reaction with fluorescein-labeled antiserum to BPV, and the inhibition of viral hemagglutination of guinea-pig erythrocytes by antiserum to BPV. Cell cultures infected with this isolate showed a slight nuclear fluorescent reaction with fluorescein-labeled antiserum to canine parvovirus, suggesting an antigenic relationship to canine parvovirus. Patterns of hemagglutination for this isolate with human erythrocytes from 20 donors of various blood types differed from those obtained with the reference Abinanti strain of BPV. These results indicate that blood from multiple donors of a species may be necessary to confirm the presence or absence of viral hemagglutinating activity with clinical isolates of BPV.