MORPHOLOGICAL AND ANTIGENIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN VIRUSES (ROTAVIRUSES) FROM ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS OF CHILDREN, CALVES, PIGLETS, MICE, AND FOALS

The reovirus-like particles present in the feces of young pigs and foals with acute enteritis and the virus causing epizootic diarrhea of infant mice were indistinguishable morphologically from each other, from the South African SA.11 and O viruses, and from the rotaviruses of children and calves. The inner capsid layer of each virus reacted serologically with sera of children, calves, mice, piglets and foals convalescent from infection with their respective rotaviruses. These sera reacted by immunofluorescence with human, bovine, porcine and murine rotaviruses, SA.11, and O viruses in tissue cultures [Primary pig, calf, human embryo, mouse and African green monkey kidney cells and Rhesus monkey kidney LLC-MK2 cells] and with human, bovine, porcine and murine viral antigens by complement fixation and gel diffusion. The antisera differed in their ability to react serologically with the outer capsid layer of the viruses investigated and in their ability to neutralize tissue culture-adapted calf virus. These 2 tests may demonstrate strain or host specificity among rotaviruses. Since the porcine, murine and equine viruses are closely related serologically to and are morphologically identical to the human and bovine viruses, they should be included in the group of viruses for which the term rotavirus is suggested. All known members of this proposed group of viruses share a common antigen, probably situated within the inner capsid layer; thus, any virus may be used for the preparation of antigen or antibody for diagnostic tests, and this will aid in the diagnosis of virus infection in those species from which a rotavirus is not cultured.