CHARACTERIZATION OF ECHOVIRUS-22 VARIANTS

Ten presumptive enterovirus isolates which could not be neutralized by type specific antisera to any prototype enterovirus were related to e chovirus 22 using molecular, biologic and serologic methods. Viral pro tein fingerprinting and PCR first suggested that these strains were va riants of echovirus 22. Three of the strains were echovirus 22 prime s trains, i.e., antiserum made to the variant strain neutralized the var iant and the prototype strain. The other strains were neutralized by a ntiserum to the prime strains. Unlike typical enteroviruses, echovirus 22 and 23 prototype viruses and 7 of the 10 variants were heat stable at 50 degrees C in H2O for 1 h.