Rapid identification of herpesvirus simiae (B virus) DNA from clinical isolates in nonhuman primate colonies

A rapid, simple technique, based on restriction endonuclease analysis of radioactively labeled infected cell DNA, is described for identification of Herpesvirus simiae (B virus) infection in clinical isolates from nonhuman primates. Isolates can be screened within 2-3 days from the time of collection of a specimen from a suspect lesion to final viral identification. Isolates were obtained from eight animals with suspected B virus infections. The results indicated the presence of B virus in each of the eight animals, each isolate unique from the others, but with the dominant prototypic pattern of the laboratory strain of B virus (E2490) and not HSV-1 (KOS), HSV-2 (186), or SA8 (3264).