CHARACTERISTICS OF A RETROVIRUS ASSOCIATED WITH JEMBRANA DISEASE IN BALI CATTLE

A virus causing Jembrana disease in Bali cattle (Bos javanicus) was de monstrated to have characteristics of a retrovirus. Reverse transcript ase activity was detected in virus purified by sucrose gradient centri fugation. Electron microscopic examination of tissue from the affected cattle indicated that the virus matured by C-type budding through the plasma membrane and into intracytoplasmic vacuoles of cells in lympho id tissue, with the formation of circular enveloped virus particles ra nging in diameter from 96 to 124 nm with an eccentric nucleoid. Wester n immunoblotting using sera from recovered animals demonstrated virus proteins of M(r) 100K, 45K, 42K, 33K, 26K, 16K and 14K. The 26K protei n of Jembrana disease virus cross-reacted in Western blots with the 26 K capsid protein of bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). The apparent morphogenesis, protein structure and antigenic relationship with BIV s uggested the virus was a lentivirus.