ISOLATION OF REPTILIAN CALICIVIRUS CROTALUS TYPE-1 FROM FERAL PINNIPEDS

Ten virus isolates were obtained from three species of marine mammals sampled on San Miguel Island (California, USA) and 1,200 km north on R ogue Reef (Oregon, USA) during tagging operations in 1986-87. Seven of these 10 were derived from 30 sampled Steller sea lion (Eumetopias ju batus pups, while two of 10 were isolated from one of 19 sampled Calif ornia sea lion (Zalophus californianus californianus pups, and the rem aining isolate was derived from 30 sampled northern fur seal (Callorhi nus ursinus) pups. All 10 isolates were identified as belonging to a s ingle serotype, reptilian calicivirus Crotalus type 1 (RCV Cro-1), pre viously isolated from both healthy and diseased snakes and frogs in a California zoologic collection. The marine samples also showed that ni ne of 30 Steller sea lion pups, one of 19 California sea lion pups and zero of 30 fur seal pups were producing type specific neutralizing an tibodies to RCV Cro-1. This represents the first reported instance of the isolation from marine sources of a calicivirus originally isolated from a terrestrial species.