1College of Veterinary Science, P.V. Narasimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad - 500 030, Telangana
2Injectable Vaccines Division Quality Control Virology, Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Genome Valley, Hyderabad-500 078, Telangana
3Biological E Ltd, Shameerpet, Hyderabad-500 078, Telangana
4ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, KVK, Hyderabad-501 505, Telangana
5Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, Suraram, Hyderabad-500 055, Telangana
Department of Microbiology, St. Pious X Degree and PG College for Women (Autonomous), Nacharam, Hyderabad-500 076, Telangana
*E-mail address: kalyaniputty@gmail.com
Online published on 12 March, 2025.
Bluetongue (BT) is an economically significant insect-borne (Culicoides spp) disease of sheep and goats caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV). The objective of the study is to recover 82 BTV isolates that were previously isolated and stored up to three years at 4°C. Generally, to obtain the BTV isolates, processed blood samples from BT-suspected sheep are passaged in embryonated chicken eggs or Culicoides insect cell line (KC cells) followed by three to four passages in baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells. The stored cell culture supernatant was passaged in BHK-21 cell line. None of the BTV isolate was recovered in BHK-21 cells up to three passages. All the 82 BTV isolates were then passaged in KC cell line first for 10 days followed by inoculation in BHK-21 cell line. In this way, out of 82 BTV isolates, 34 isolates (41.5%) were recovered. This suggests that mimicking the field conditions by passaging the virus first in the vector's cell line (Culicoides spp) aids efficient recovery of stored BTV isolates.
Baby hamster kidney cells, Bluetongue virus, Culicoides sonorensis cells
