Isolation of rotaviruses from turkeys and chickens: demonstration of distinct serotypes and RNA electropherotypes.

Six isolates of rotavirus were made from turkeys and two from chickens. Three of these required trypsin treatment for isolation and serial passage in cell cultures. The remainder were isolated without trypsin treatment. Most of these viruses were isolated in chick embryo liver cell cultures from the faeces of birds aged under 1 week. In six of the eight instances, rotavirus isolation was associated with enteric disturbance, characterised by signs such as diarrhoea, poor or abnormal appetite, abnormally fluid or gaseous intestinal contents or increased mortality. Cross immunofluorescence tests showed that while avian and mammalian rotaviruses shared a common group antigen, the avian viruses were more closely related to each other than to the Nebraska calf rotavirus isolate. On the basis of serum neutralisation tests seven of the eight avian rotaviruses were grouped into three serotypes, with two turkey isolates (Ty1 and Ty3) and a chicken (Ch1) virus being the prototype strains. The remaining virus, Ty2, was intermediate in type between Ty1 and Ch1. Analysis of the RNA of these viruses by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that they could also be grouped into a number of electropherotypes. The isolates which were serologically distinct were also electrophoretically distinct. Similarly the five isolates which belonged to the Ty3 sero-type were electrophoretically identical. Analysis of the serological and electrophoretic differences suggested that RNA segment 5 may code for a type-specific antigen.