Alcelaphine herpesviruses 1 and 2 SDS-PAGE analysis of virion polypeptides, restriction endonuclease analysis of genomic DNA and virus replication restriction in different cell types.

Herpesviruses have been isolated from white-tailed, white-bearded and blue wildebeest, as well as from Jimela topi and Cape hartebeest. These animals are members of the sub-family Alcelaphinae of the family Bovidae. Viruses isolated from wildebeest cause malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) in susceptible ruminant species. Alcelaphine herpesviruses (AHV) isolated from wildebeest replicate in both fetal aoudad sheep kidney (FAK) cells and bovine embryonic lung (BEL) cells. However, virus isolates from topi and hartebeest, which have not been linked to clinical MCF, replicate only in FAK cells. Buoyant density analysis by analytical ultracentrifugation, restriction endonuclease analysis and blot hybridization of virus genomic DNA from both alcelaphine herpesviruses as well as from bovine herpesviruses 1, 2, and 4 demonstrate that there are two types of alcelaphine herpesviruses, each distinct and different from the other bovine herpesviruses. Genomic size of both alcelaphine herpesviruses, estimated from DNA restriction fragments, is approximately 110 kilobase pairs. Alcelaphine herpesvirus DNA resembles Herpesvirus saimiri DNA during equilibrium sedimentation in that the majority of the DNA bands as a light (L) fraction with a minor heavy (H) component. Polyacrylamide gel analysis of virion proteins indicates that both viruses have distinct patterns, each consisting of 36 polypeptides ranging in molecular weight from 12,000 to 275,000. Virus isolates from wildebeest have been designated AHV-1, while viruses isolated from topi and hartebeest have been designated AHV-2.