Summary
Viral contamination associated with syncytium formation in two sublines of Singh’sAedes albopictus cell cultures was investigated. Electron microscopy of the syncytia revealed the presence of five different types of virus-like particles, which morphologically resembled the parvo-, picorna-, toga-, and orbi-, and bacterial viruses. When a virusfree subline of theA. albopictus cells (SL3) was inoculated with extracts of the syncytium-formingA. albopictus cells, the parvo-, toga-, and orbi-type viral agents were consistently observed. Among these three agents, the togavirus-type agent is most likely responsible for the syncytium induction. Serological examination of the infected cell extract indicated that at least one of three virus-like agents, presumably the togavirus-type agent, was related to Chikungunya, O’nyong-nyong, and Western equine encephalomyelitis viruses (alphaviruses of the Togaviridae), but separable from these.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fogh, J., N. B. Holmgren, and P. P. Ludovici. 1971. A review of cell culture contaminations. In Vitro 7: 26–41.
Ludovici, P. P., and N. B. Holmgren. 1973. Cell culture contaminants. In: D. M. Prescott,Methods in Cell Biology. Volume 6. Academic Press, New York, pp. 143–208.
Kniazeff, A. J. 1973. Endogenous virus contaminants in fetal bovine serum and their role in tissue culture contamination. In: J. Fogh (Ed.),Contamination in Tissue Culture. Academic Press, New York, pp. 233–242.
Sanders, F. K. 1973. The presence of viruses in uninoculated tissue cultures: sources and methods of detection. In: J. Fogh (Ed.),Contamination in Tissue Culture. Academic Press, New York, pp. 243–256.
Filshie, B. K., T. D. C. Grace, D. F. Poulson, and J. Rehacek. 1967. Viruslike particles in insect cells of three types. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 9: 271–273.
Kitamura, S., T. Imai, and T. D. C. Grace. 1973. Adaptation of two mosquito cell lines to medium free of calf serum. J. Med. Entomol. 10: 488–489.
Pudney, M., D. McCarthy, and K. F. Shortridge. 1973. Rod-shaped virus-like particles in culturedAnopheles cells and in anAnopheles laboratory colony.Proc. 3rd International Colloq. Invertebr. Tissue Culture. Smolenice nr. Bratislava, Czechoslovakia 1971. pp. 337–345.
Suitor, E. C., Jr., and F. J. Paul. 1969. Syncytia formation of mosquito cell cultures mediated by type 2 dengue virus. Virology 38: 482–485.
Williamson, D. L., and R. P. Kernaghan. 1972. Virus-like particles in Schneider’sDrosophila cell lines. Drosophila Information Service 48: 58–59.
Hirumi, H. 1974. Mycoplasmal and viral contaminations of insect cell cultures.The U.S.-Japan Cooperative Conference on Invertebrate Tissue Culture: Applications in Fundamental Research. Tokyo, Japan. Dec. 9–12, 1974. p. 39.
Mitsuhashi, J. 1967. Establishment of an insect cell strain persistently infected with an insect virus. Nature 215: 863–864.
Varma, M. G. R., M. Pudney, and R. C. Bird. 1970. Virus-like particles in cultured cells from mosquitos and ticks. J. Parasitol. 56(4) Section II, pt. 1: 351, resume No. 646.
Singh, K. R. P. 1967. Cell cultures derived from larvae ofAedes albopictus (Skuse) andAedes aegypti (L.). Current Sci. (India) 36: 506–508.
Davey, M. W., D. P. Dennett, and L. Dalgarno. 1973. The growth of two togaviruses in cultured mosquito and vertebrate cells. J. Gen. Virol. 20: 225–232.
Buckley, S. M. 1971. Multiplication of chikungunya and O’nyong-nyong viruses in Singh’sAedes cell lines. Current Topics Microbiol. Immunol. 55: 133–137.
Cory, J., and C. E. Yunker. 1972. Arbovirus plaques in mosquito cell monolayers. Acta Virol. (Prague), Engl. Ed. 16: 90.
Raghow, R. S., T. D. C. Grace, B. K. Filshie, W. Bartley, and L. Dalgarno. 1973. Ross River virus replication in cultured mosquito and mammalian cells: virus growth and correlated ultrastructural changes. J. Gen. Virol. 21: 109–122.
Raghow, R. S., M. W. Davey, and L. Dalgarno. 1973. The growth of Semliki Forest virus in cultured mosquito cells: ultrastructural observations. Arch. Ges. Virusforsch. 43: 165–168.
Singh, K. R. P. 1971. Growth of arboviruses inAedes albopictus andA. aegypti cell lines. Current Topics Microbiol. Immunol. 55: 127–133.
Singh, K. R. P. 1972. Growth of arboviruses in arthropod tissue culture. Adv. Virus Res. 17: 187–206.
Suitor, E. C., Jr. 1969. Plaque formation by an arbovirus in a mosquito cell line. J. Gen. Virol. 5: 545–546.
Yunker, C. E. 1971. Arthropod tissue culture in the study of arboviruses and rickettsiae: a review. Current Topics Microbiol. Immunol. 55: 113–126.
Yunker, C. E., and J. Cory. 1968. Growth of some group B arboviruses in two established insect cell lines.Proc. 23rd Ann. International Northwest Conf. on Diseases in Nature Communicable to man (19–21 Aug.), pp. 79–82.
Yunker, C. E., and J. Cory. 1975. Plaque production by arboviruses in Singh’sAedes albopictus cells. Appl. Microbiol. 29: 81–89.
Mitsuhashi, J., and K. Maramorosch. 1964. Leaf-hopper tissue culture: embryonic, nymphal, and imaginal tissue from aseptic insects. Contrib. Boyce Thompson Inst. 22: 435–460.
Yasamura, Y., and Y. Kawakita. 1963. Study on SV40 virus in tissue culture. Nippon Rinsho. 21: 1201–1219.
Hink, W. F. 1970. Established insect cell line from the cabbage looper,Trichoplusia ni. Nature (London) 226: 466–467.
Chiu, R. J., and L. M. Black. 1967. Monolayer cultures of insect cell lines and their inoculation with a plant virus. Nature (London) 215: 1076–1078.
Singh, K. R. P., and U. K. M. Bhat. 1971. Establishment of two mosquito cell lines from larval tissues ofAedes w-albus. Experientia 27: 142–143.
Pudney, M., and M. G. R. Varma. 1971.Anopheles stephensi var.mysorensis: Establishment of a larval cell line (Mos. 43). Expertl. Parasitol. 29: 7–12.
Hsu, S. H., W. H. Mao, and J. H. Cross. 1970. Establishment of a line of cells derived from ovarian tissue ofCulex quinquefasciatus Say. J. Med. Entomol. 7: 703–707.
Hirumi, H., and K. Maramorosch. 1971. Cell culture of Hemiptera. In: C. Vago (Ed.),Invertebrate Tissue Culture. Volume 1. Academic Press, New York, pp. 307–339.
Newman, J. F. E., and F. Brown. 1973. Evidence for a divided genome in Nodamura virus, an arthropod-borne picornavirus. J. Gen. Virol. 21: 371–384.
Cooper, P. D. 1967. The plaque assay of animal viruses. In: K. Maramorosch and H. Koprowski (Eds.),Methods in Virology. Volume 3. Academic Press, New York, pp. 243–311.
Casals, J. 1967. Immunological techniques for animal viruses. In: K. Maramorosch and H. Koprowski (Eds.),Methods in Virology. Volume 3. Academic Press, New York, pp. 113–198.
Mollenhauer, H. H. 1964. Plastic embedding mixtures for use in electron microscopy. Stain Technol. 39: 111–114.
Horzinek, M. C. 1973. Comparative aspects of togaviruses. J. Gen. Virol. 20: 87–103.
Stollar, V., and V. L. Thomas. 1975. An agent in theAedes aegypti cell line (Peleg) which cause fusion ofAedes albopictus cell. Virology 64: 367–377.
Cunningham, A., S. M. Buckley, J. Casals, and S. R. Webb. 1975. Isolation of chikungunya virus contaminating anAedes albopictus cell line. J. Gen. Virol. 27: 97–100.
Paul, S. D., K. R. P. Singh, and U. K. M. Bhat. 1969. A study on the cytopathic effect of arboviruses on cultures fromAedes albopictus cell line. Ind. J. Med. Res. 57: 339–348.
Melnick, J. L. 1973. Classification and nomenclature of viruses. In: A. J. Dalton and F. Haguenau (Eds.),Ultrastructure of Animal Viruses and Bacteriophages: An Atlas. Academic Press, New York, pp. 1–20.
Lebedeva, O. P., M. A. Kuzentsova, A. P. Zelenko, and A. P. Gudz-Gorban. 1973. Investigation of a virus disease of the densonucleosis type in a laboratory culture ofAedes aegypti. Acta Virol. (Prague), Engl. Ed. 17: 253–256.
Richardson, J., E. S. Sylvester, W. C. Reeves, and J. L. Hardy. 1974. Evidence of two inapparent nonoccluded viral infections ofCulex tarsalis. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 23: 213–224.
Scherer, W. F., and H. S. Hurlbut. 1967. Nodamura virus from Japan: a new and unusual arbovirus resistant to diethyl ether and chloroform. Am. J. Epidemiol. 86: 271–285.
Wagner, G. W., S. R. Webb, J. D. Paschke, and W. R. Campbell. 1974. A picornavirus isolated fromAedes taeniorhynchus and its interaction with mosquito iridescent virus. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 24: 380–382.
Chu, F. C., J. B. Johnson, H. C. Orr, P. G. Probst, and J. C. Petricciani. 1973. Bacterial virus contamination of fetal bovine sera. In Vitro 9: 31–34.
Merril, C. R., T. B. Friedman, A. F. M. Attallah, M. R. Geier, K. Krell, and R. Yarkin. 1972. Isolation of bacteriophages from commercial sera. In Vitro 8: 91–93.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported, in part, by USPHS-NIH General Research Grant No. PH S 5 SO1 RRO5679-06 from U.S. Pubic Health Service, Washington, D.C., to Boyce Thompson Institute.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hirumi, H., Hirumi, K., Speyer, G. et al. Viral contamination of a mosquito cell line,Aedes albopictus, associated with syncytium formation. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 12, 83–97 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02796354
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02796354