In vitro exposure of preimplantation bovine embryos to vesicular stomatitis virus.

Vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey serotype (VSV-NJ) adhered to 14 of 20 zonae pellucidae intact (ZP-I) bovine embryos exposed in vitro. The VSV-NJ-exposed ZP-I bovine embryos were washed by a single- or multiple-pipette procedure. The multiple-pipette washing procedure was more efficient in removing unattached virus than the single-pipette procedure, but neither washing procedure was effective in consistently removing attached virus from ZP-I embryos. The virus plaque assay with Vero-MARU cells was more sensitive than was the suckling mouse intracerebral inoculation procedure for detection of VSV-NJ from the sonic extracts of bovine embryos. A maximum of 15 infective VSV-NJ particles were detected adhering to one virus-exposed, washed ZP-I bovine embryo.