| Summary: | Six 3 to 4 weeks old, cesarian-derived lambs were inoculated with ovine an
adenovirus isolate 475N. Inoculated lambs showed moderate clinical signs of respiratory
distress, conjunctivitis, and loose feces during the 10-day observation period. Virus was
detected from nasal and conjunctival swabs starting on postinoculation day (PID) 2.
Virus was detected in the feces in a inconsistent fashion. At necropsy, virus was present
in the lung, tonsils, and bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes of lambs necropsied on
PID 5 and 7. Tissue samples from gastrointestinal tract and kidney were negative for
the virus. Presence of virus in the feces was believed to be from replication in tonsillar
tissue. At necropsy, lambs showed signs of pneumonia and numerous intranuclear
inclusion bodies were detected in affected lung tissue. Virus neutralizing antibodies
appeared at low levels in serum on PID 6 and reached higher levels by PID 10.
Six ovine adenovirus prototype species, three uncharacterized ovine and bovine
adenoviruses isolates and two uncharacterized llama adenoviruses isolates were digested
with four different restriction enzymes. Digested viral DNA was separated in 0.7%
agarose gels. The enzymes Barn HI, Eco RI, Hind III, and Pst I digested viral DNA and
produced 2-10 bands. The profile of the band distribution permitted the differentiation
of the viruses under study. However, further studies using multiple isolates of each
species are required to determine if this procedure will efficiently distinguish different
species of ruminant adenoviruses.
Ten adenoviruses from sheep (including the six prototype species), one from
bovine and one from llama were studied by virus neutralization test to determine their
degree of antigenic similarities. Reciprocal virus neutralization tests were performed and
the degree of antigenic similarities, i.e., strain differentiation was determined by criteria
established by the International Committee for the Nomenclature of Viruses. Isolates
32CN (a bovine adenovirus) and 475N (an ovine adenovirus) were antigenically identical
and not neutralized by any of the prototype species antiserum. They are candidates for
a new species of ruminant adenoviruses. Ovine adenovirus isolate 47F was shown to be
a member of OAV-5 species while the llama adenovirus strain represents a newly
recognized species for this animal. === Graduation date: 1996
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