ISOLATION OF JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS-VIRUS FROM CULEX-SITIENS MOSQUITOSIN SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

Isolation of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) from mosquitoes in Saba k Bernam, Selangor, Malaysia, was attempted. An aliquot of homogenate from each pool of mosquitoes, 50 per tube, was inoculated into Aedes a lbopictus clone C6/36 cells for virus isolation. Each cell culture was tested for the presence of viral antigen by immunoperoxidase staining using an anti-JEV polyclonal antibody. Out of 4 Culex sitiens mosquit o pools, 2 pools were positive for JEV by cell culture. Presence of JE V genome in the cell cultures for Cx. sitiens was confirmed by using r everse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and JEV-specific primer s. This is the first report on the isolation of JEV from Cx. sitiens.