EVIDENCE FOR 2 SMALL VIRUSES PERSISTENTLY INFECTING ESTABLISHED CELL-LINES OF PHTHORIMAEA-OPERCULELLA, DERIVING FROM EMBRYOS OF THE POTATO-TUBER MOTH

Two Small viruses were isolated from established cell lines of P. oper culella deriving from embryos. The first one probably related to the N odaviridae family, is a 30 nm in diameter icosahedral virus, with a bi segmented RNA genome and a single polypeptide of 39 kilodaltons. The s econd one related to the Parvoviridae family, is a 25 nm in diameter i cosahedral virus with a DNA genome and a capsid constituted of 4 polyp eptides of respectively, 90,000; 64,000; 56,000 and 43,500 daltons. Th e two viruses probably chronically infect the cell lines and may be co nsider latent viruses.