HIGH-FREQUENCY INTERGENOMIC RECOMBINATION OF SUID HERPESVIRUS-1 (SHV-1, AUJESZKYS-DISEASE VIRUS)

Examples are given of observations made with field isolates of suid he rpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) which indicate that intergenomic recombination is a common phenomenon associated with the virus. This was further confir med by experimental co-infection of a pig with 2 virus strains with di fferent, stable and easily identifiable genomic markers, followed by n atural transmission to a group of contact pigs. A variety of recombina nts was subsequently isolated, while none of the parental strains were re-isolated from any of the pigs. It is suggested that co-invasion of cells and recombination between viral genomes play a role in the life cycle of the virus.