A non-haemagglutinating isolate of mink enteritis virus

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Infectious Diseases of Animals

Background:

• Mink enteritis is a significant disease in mink farming.
• Mink enteritis virus (MEV) is the causative agent.
• Characterization of MEV strains is crucial for disease control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and identify the virus responsible for a recent outbreak of mink enteritis.
• To characterize the biological and physical properties of the isolated virus.
• To compare the isolate with known MEV strains.

Main Methods:

• Virus isolation from diseased mink.
• Serological testing for identification.
• Determination of virus density using Cesium Chloride (CsCl) gradient centrifugation.
• Electron microscopy for morphology and size determination.
• Haemagglutination (HA) assays using various red blood cells (RBCs), temperatures, and pH levels.

Main Results:

• A virus, designated MEV-S, was successfully isolated from mink exhibiting enteritis.
• MEV-S was identified as a mink enteritis virus based on serological, density (1.415 g cm-3), and morphological (20 nm diameter) characteristics.
• MEV-S exhibited a lack of haemagglutinating (HA) activity with swine, horse, bovine, and rhesus monkey red blood cells under various conditions.

Conclusions:

• The isolated virus, MEV-S, is a distinct strain of mink enteritis virus.
• The absence of HA activity differentiates MEV-S from previously described MEV strains.
• Further studies are needed to understand the implications of this altered characteristic for MEV pathogenesis and epidemiology.