Differentiation of Bwamba and Pongola viruses by agar-gel diffusion and immunoelectrophoretic techniques

The agar-gel diffusion (AGD) and the immunoelectrophoretic (IEP) techniques were employed in the differentiation of virus strains of the Bwamba-Pongola group. These techniques were found to be more specific than either the complement fixation (CF) or the neutralization (N) test in the differentiation of Bwamba and Pongola viurses. Of 22 virus strains isolated in Nigeria and previously typed as strains of Bwamba virus by CF and N tests, 12 strains of mosquito origin were definitely classified as Pongola viruses and 10 of human origin as Bwamba viruses by the AGD and IEP techniques.