ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND SERIAL PROPAGATION OF A NIGERIAN STRAIN OF PORCINE GROUP-A ROTAVIRUS IN A MONKEY KIDNEY-CELL LINE (MA104)

A Nigerian strain of porcine rotavirus was isolated in MA 104 cells wi th the aid of proteolytic enzyme and roller cultures. The isolate (LAD 132) replicated to high titres and was characterised as a serogroup A rotavirus based on the RNA migration pattern and immunoflorescence. C omparison of the double stranded (ds) RNA of the electropherotypes of the 10th tissue culture passage of LAD 132 with its original faecal ds RNA and those of the OSU and Gottfried established reference strains s howed the LAD 132 virus in both the tissue culture and faeces to be id entical but differed from those of the OSU and Gottfried reference str ains. This paper documents the first isolation and characterisation of a porcine rotavirus from Nigeria.