Growth characteristics of herpesviruses isolated from free living small rodents.

Sixteen cell cultures of different origin (bird, rodents, carnivores, pigs, monkey, man) reproduced five strains of herpesviruses isolated from small free living rodents Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus revealing cytopathic changes typical for members of the family Herpesviridae. The virus titres in different cell cultures ranged from 10(2) to 10(7) TCD50 per ml. The growth curves of two isolates originating from both animal species resembled to those obtained with human herpesviruses type 1 and 2, pseudorabies virus and guinea pig herpes-like virus (Hsiung-Kaplow) in identical cell cultures. Mouse cytomegalovirus was grown practically in mouse embryo fibroblasts only. The five isolates from free living small rodents were classified according to cytopathic changes and growth characteristics in different cell cultures as members of the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae.