Comparison of the pathogenicity of rinderpest virus in different strains of rabbits

Pathogenicity of the lapinized Nakamura-III (L) strain of rinderpest virus (RPV) was examined in four strains of rabbits consisting of two inbred strains (NW-NIBS and DUY-NIBS) and two outbred strains maintained in closed colony (NW-NIBS and JW-NIBS) using a marmoset lymphoblastoid cell line, B95a cell-passaged virus and tissue homogenates of virus-infected rabbits. The cell culture virus was found to maintain virulence for rabbits of both closed colony and inbred NW-NIBS strain similar to the homogenate virus. Among the strains investigated, inbred NW-NIBS strain showed the highest susceptibility to RPV. Thus experimental model in an inbred rabbit using cell culture virus became useful.