[Biological properties and antigenic interconnection between Tiuleniy and Karshi flaviviruses]

Biological properties of flaviviruses Tyuleny and Karshi, new for the science, were studied. The viruses are highly pathogenic for laboratory animals; they replicate fairly well in primary chick embryo cells and PS cells. BHK-21 cells were found susceptible to replication of Karshi virus. Tyuleny and Karshi viruses were found capable of initiating and maintaining a persistent infection in primary brain cell cultures from suckling Syrian hamsters for at least 3 months. Both the viruses showed cytoproliferative activity in respect of the above cells in tissue cultures. Our data indicate that Tyuleny virus, a member of a separate antigenic group, is more closely related to Japanese encephalitis virus (strain JaGar 01), and Karshi virus to Powassan virus.