Identification and characterization of a new Cypovirus, type 14, isolated from Heliothis armigera

Electrophoretic analysis of the genome of the Chinese isolate of Heliothis armigera cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (Ha CPV) showed the presence of a mixture of at least two types of CPVs. One viral type was selected through passage in cell culture. The genomic electrophoretic pattern of this strain was demonstrated to be stable during replication in vitro. Ha CPV infection was characterized by the presence in the cytoplasm of a large number of inclusion bodies (polyhedra). These polyhedra were, in comparison with other CPVs, much smaller and rather heterogeneous in size and morphology. Serial passages and subcultures of cells surviving the original Ha CPV infection revealed a persistence of the viral infection throughout the passages. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.