INVITRO SUSCEPTIBILITY OF RAINBOW-TROUT FIN CELLS TO VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA VIRUS

Cells isolated from rainbow trout fins Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum were propagated and subcultured as fibroblast-like. Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) replicated in the cultured fin cells as demonstrated by fin cell lysis, positive immunofluorescence with polyclonal anti-VHSV, and increase in titre as measured by either infection of fish cell lines or by sandwich ELISA with anti-VHSV monoclonal antibodies. The possible use of these fin cell cultures as VHSV-antigen presenting cells for immunological studies is briefly discussed.