Manitoba virus, a new rhabdovirus isolated from Culex tarsalis mosquitoes collected in Manitoba, Canada.

A rhabdovirus, Mn 936-77, was isolated from a pool of two Culex tarsalis collected on August 16, 1977, from Morris, Manitoba. Isolate Mn 936-77 was not pathogenic for suckling Swiss white mice inoculated by the intracerebral route. The virus propagated in three vertebrate cell lines (Vero, primary chick embryo, mouse neuroblastoma), but apparently not in Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells. Isolate Mn 936-77 did not react by amplified enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay with 230 viruses of proven or possible arbovirus etiology or by immunofluorescence with 88 members of the family Rhabdoviridae. Isolate Mn 936-77 appears to be a newly discovered virus for which the name Manitoba virus is proposed.