Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #331553
Title: Immortalized sheep microglial cells are permissive to a diverse range of ruminant viruses

Author
item STANTON, JAMES - University Of Georgia
item SWANSON, BERYL - University Of Georgia
item Orozco, Edith
item MUNOZ-GUTIERREZ, JUAN - Washington State University
item EVERMANN, JAMES - Washington State University
item Ridpath, Julia

Submitted to: The Veterinary Quarterly
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2017
Publication Date: 1/1/2017
Citation: Stanton, J.B., Swanson, B., Orozco, E., Munoz-Gutierrez, J.F., Evermann, J.F., Ridpath, J.F. 2017. Immortalized sheep microglial cells are permissive to a diverse range of ruminant viruses. The Veterinary Quarterly. 37(1):52-56. doi: 10.1080/01652176.2017.1297550.

Interpretive Summary: Small ruminants (sheep and goats) are an economically important group of livestock, especially in the world’s impoverished areas. Viral diseases are a persistent problem for the health management of small ruminants. However, there are few diagnostic tools available for use with small ruminants compared to those available for cattle, swine, and poultry. One of the basic tools needed for viral detection and research are cell culture systems that can be used to grow the viruses that infect small ruminants. The purpose of this study was to test a newly developed cell culture system, based on sheep cells, for its ability to grow virus. It was found that viruses grew well using this system. This system represents and new a valuable tool for the study of viruses that infect small ruminants.

Technical Abstract: Sheep and goats (small ruminants) are economically important livestock animals in many parts of the world. Infectious diseases, including many viral diseases, are significant problems to efficient production of small ruminants. Unfortunately, reagents tailored to small ruminant viruses are lacking compared to other agriculturally important animals. The purpose of this study was to determine the permissibility of a stably immortalized, sheep microglial cell line to viruses that are reported to infect ruminants: bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1), small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). Inoculation of two microglial cell sublines with laboratory and field isolates of BVDV, BHV-1, BRSV, BTV, and EHDV, resulted in viral infection as determined by cytopathic effect, qPCR and/or immunocytochemistry in a manner similar to bovine turbinate cells. Immortalized microglia are also permissive to SRLV, similar to goat synovial membrane cells. These immortalized sheep microglial cells provide a new tool for the detection and study of ruminant viruses in ruminant macrophages.