[Properties of blood serum from reindeer and results of using it in virology and biotechnology].

The blood serum of the reindeer does not virtually contain any antibodies to respiratory and intestinal viruses widely spread among the cattle. The reindeer blood serum is comparable with the bovine serum by the contents of chlorides, hemoglobin, total protein and protein fractions; however, it is different from the latter by a 2.5-fold higher content of glucose and by a higher osmotic pressure. The serum stimulates the mitotic cell activity and cell monolayer production; it also contributes to accumulating the cytopathogenic viruses in cell culture. 5- and 10%-serum, when added to a nutrient medium, ensures the reproduction of bovine leucosis virus and the accumulation of the antigen of this virus in a continuous cell culture that is chronically infected with the virus. Finally, the reindeer serum stabilizes the viability of ovocytes and stimulates the bovine embryo development at transplantation.