The persistent infection of a canine thymus cell line by equine infectious anaemia virus and preliminary data on the production of viral antigens.

Equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) was adapted to the Cf2Th cell line, a heterologous malignant line from canine thymus. A persistent infection was monitored for 100 serial passages by demonstrating the presence of virus and viral antigens at each 10th passage by electron-microscopy, immunodiffusion and immunofluorescence. Chromosome analysis of EIAV-infected cells indicated they had a karyotype resembling the control cells of similar passage history. Virus-infected cells, grown in roller cultures for 65 days without subculturing, continuously produced viral antigens into supernatant fluids which were harvested every 3-4 days. Antigen peaks were observed at approximately 12-day intervals. Immunoprecipitin lines of identity were demonstrated between ether-extracted antigens from virus-infected canine cell line and known positive EIAV antigen extracted from infected equine spleen and a commercial source. Replication of a non-oncogenic retrovirus (EIAV) resulted in the continuous release of viral antigens from a persistently infected and infinite cell line.