Investigations of budgerigar fledgling disease virus

The DNA of a papovavirus associated with budgerigar fledgling disease was purified and cloned into plasmid pBR322. The genome was circular and approximately 5.1 kilobases long. Physical mapping of the genome with restriction endonucleases revealed little similarity to simian virus 40 or polyomavirus DNA. Transformation trials using murine 3T3 cells were negative. Attempts to characterize proteins were unsuccessful due to the apparent close association of the virus and host cell components.