ARS | Publication request: A NATURAL MUTANT OF MAREK'S DISEASE VIRUS CONTAINING AN INSERTED GENE FROM RETICULOENDOTHELIOSIS VIRUS

Submitted to: American Veterinary Medical Association Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 20, 1996
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: During co-cultivation of the JM/102W (low passage) strain of Marek's disease virus (MDV) with the chick syncytial strain of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), a mutant MDV was isolated which contained the long terminal repeat of the REV genome inserted at the junction of the internal repeat and unique short regions of the MDV genome. This mutant clone, RM1, was attenuated for oncogenicity without expansion of the 132 base pair repeat region. It replicated well in vitro and in vivo, and induced thymic atrophy. The clone retained a high degree of immunogenicity as indicated by protection tests.