A stable cell line with a proportion of cells persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus

Bovine turbinate (BTu) and lamb testis (LT) cell lines persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) arose as a result of a single change of medium containing commercial foetal calf serum. Infected cells comprise 30% and 50% respectively, of the total cell population, determined by immunohistochemical staining. The ratio of positive cells has remained unchanged during successive passages. Characterization of the persistently-infected BTu cells (BTuI) showed that only full length viral RNA was detected by northern blot hybridisation, indicating that DI particles were not involved. Secreted and intracellular virus from these cells was fully infectious for fresh BTu and LT cells. The BTuI cell line was fully permissive for a cytopathic BVDV isolate and a bovine herpesvirus, but non-permissive for two non-cytopathic BVDV isolates. Attempts to induce the permissive state in the BVDV-negative cells of the BTuI culture by treatment with actinomycin D and 5'-aza-cytidine failed. These cells provide a convenient model to study aspects of BVDV pathogenesis and replication.