IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW CYPOVIRUS, TYPE-14, ISOLATED FROM HELIOTHIS-ARMIGERA

Electrophoretic analysis of the genome of the Chinese isolate of Helio this armigera cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (Ha CPV) showed the prese nce of a mixture of at least two types of CPVs. One viral type was sel ected through passage in cell culture. The genomic electrophoretic pat tern of this strain was demonstrated to be stable during replication i n vitro. Ha CPV infection was characterized by the presence in the cyt oplasm of a large number of inclusion bodies (polyhedra). These polyhe dra were, in comparison with other CPVs, much smaller and rather heter ogeneous in size and morphology. Serial passages and subcultures of ce lls surviving the original Ha CPV infection revealed a persistence of the viral infection throughout the passages. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.