II. Multiplication of Chikungunya and O'nyong-nyong viruses in Singh's Aedes cell lines.

Abstract

We have been interested in insect cells as a tool to throw some light on virus-vector relationships. In studies conducted during 1968 and 1969 (Buckley, 1969a and b), 32 strains of arboviruses were examined for their ability to infect Aedes cells. Twenty-seven viruses belonged to 9 different antigenic groups and 5 were ungrouped. The findings of Singh and Paul (1968a) that mosquito-borne viruses including chikungunya (CHIK) multiply either in both or at least in one of the cell lines were confirmed. However, we have found exceptions to the tentative generalization made by Singh and Paul that tick-borne arboviruses fail to infect the Aedes cells. In our hands, Colorado tick fever virus (CTF), an ungrouped tick-borne virus, multiplies in the Aedes albopictus cell line, but not in the A. aegypti cell line (Buckley, 1969a). These results confirm the findings of Yunker and Cory (1969). In addition to CTF, four viruses of the Kemerovo group, namely Kemerovo, Lipovnik, Tribec and Chenuda, non-group B tick-borne viruses, infected both Aedes cell lines (Buckley, 1969b). Tick-borne viruses of group B such as Kyasanur Forest disease (Singh and Paul, 1968 b), Langat (Buckley, 1969a) and Kadam (W. N. Mugo, personal communication) do not multiply in the Aedes cells, whereas 5/18 non-group B tick-borne viruses infect either one or both of Singh’S Aedes cell lines.