GROWTH OF COWDRIA-RUMINANTIUM IN TISSUE-CULTURE ENDOTHELIAL-CELL LINES FROM WILD AFRICAN MAMMALS

Endothelial cell cultures were established from several wild African m ammalian species. Long-term cultures were established from three rumin ants, sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), a nd eland (Tragelaphus oryx), and from an omnivore, the bushpig (Potamo choerus porcus). Cowdria ruminantium was isolated from plasma of clini cally affected animals in these four cell lines and in bovine endothel ial cells used routinely for C. ruminantium propagation. Nineteen diff erent strains of C. ruminantium from Africa and the Caribbean region w ere grown and maintained in these cell lines and their growth was comp arable with growth in the bovine endothelial cells. The role of sable antelope, eland, and bushpigs in the epidemiology of heartwater is unk nown. However, these results extend the number of cell lines that can be used to isolate and grow C. ruminantium.