Identification of Highlands J virus from a Florida horse.
Abstract: A virus, strain 64A-1519, isolated from the brain of a horse dying of encephalitis in Florida in 1964, was identified as western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus. Recently, we used polyclonal and monoclonal immune reagents to identify this isolate by comparing it to 2 strains of WEE virus and to Highlands J (HJ) virus in hemagglutination-inhibition, immunofluorescent antibody, and plaque-reduction neutralization tests. These tests demonstrate that strain 64A-1519 is a strain of HJ virus distinct from WEE virus.
Publication Date: 1988-12-01 PubMed ID: 2849884DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1988.39.603Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article focuses on the identification of Highlands J (HJ) virus from a strain isolated from a horse in Florida that died of encephalitis.
Background
- The study revolves around a virus strain named 64A-1519, which was initially isolated in 1964 from a horse’s brain that died of encephalitis in Florida.
- The virus was, at first, identified as the western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus.
Research Methodology
- The research team used both polyclonal and monoclonal immune reagents in order to re-identify the isolated virus strain.
- The identification process was carried out by comparing the isolate to two strains of WEE virus and the Highlands J (HJ) virus, known to cause encephalitis in horses.
- The comparison was assessed through various tests including hemagglutination-inhibition, immunofluorescent antibody, and plaque-reduction neutralization tests.
Results and Findings
- The results from these tests revealed that the isolated virus strain 64A-1519 is not WEE virus but a strain of the HJ virus.
- This identification suggests a misidentification in the initial assessment of the virus back in 1964.
- The findings establish that the strain 64A-1519 is distinct from the WEE virus, serving as an important factor for future research studies and for dealing with equine encephalitis.
Cite This Article
APA
Karabatsos N, Lewis AL, Calisher CH, Hunt AR, Roehrig JT.
(1988).
Identification of Highlands J virus from a Florida horse.
Am J Trop Med Hyg, 39(6), 603-606.
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1988.39.603 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Division of Vector-Borne Viral Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Fort Collins, Colorado 80522.
MeSH Terms
- Alphavirus / classification
- Alphavirus / immunology
- Alphavirus / isolation & purification
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
- Antibody Specificity
- Cells, Cultured
- Chick Embryo
- Cross Reactions
- Encephalitis / microbiology
- Encephalitis / veterinary
- Encephalitis Virus, Western Equine / classification
- Encephalitis Virus, Western Equine / isolation & purification
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Florida
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique
- Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Neutralization Tests
- Togaviridae Infections / microbiology
- Togaviridae Infections / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Barba M, Fairbanks EL, Daly JM. Equine viral encephalitis: prevalence, impact, and management strategies. Vet Med (Auckl) 2019;10:99-110.
- Heberlein-Larson LA, Tan Y, Stark LM, Cannons AC, Shilts MH, Unnasch TR, Das SR. Complex Epidemiological Dynamics of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus in Florida. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019 May;100(5):1266-1274.
- Giry C, Roquebert B, Li-Pat-Yuen G, Gasque P, Jaffar-Bandjee MC. Improved detection of genus-specific Alphavirus using a generic TaqMan® assay. BMC Microbiol 2017 Jul 24;17(1):164.
- Allison AB, Stallknecht DE, Holmes EC. Evolutionary genetics and vector adaptation of recombinant viruses of the western equine encephalitis antigenic complex provides new insights into alphavirus diversity and host switching. Virology 2015 Jan 1;474:154-62.
- Go YY, Balasuriya UB, Lee CK. Zoonotic encephalitides caused by arboviruses: transmission and epidemiology of alphaviruses and flaviviruses. Clin Exp Vaccine Res 2014 Jan;3(1):58-77.
- Martin DA, Muth DA, Brown T, Johnson AJ, Karabatsos N, Roehrig JT. Standardization of immunoglobulin M capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for routine diagnosis of arboviral infections. J Clin Microbiol 2000 May;38(5):1823-6.
- Weaver SC, Kang W, Shirako Y, Rumenapf T, Strauss EG, Strauss JH. Recombinational history and molecular evolution of western equine encephalomyelitis complex alphaviruses. J Virol 1997 Jan;71(1):613-23.
- Calisher CH. Medically important arboviruses of the United States and Canada. Clin Microbiol Rev 1994 Jan;7(1):89-116.
- Fan X, Li W, Oros J, Plante JA, Mitchell BM, Plung JS, Basu H, Nagappan-Chettiar S, Boeckers JM, Tjang LV, Mann CJ, Brusic V, Buck TK, Varnum H, Yang P, Malcolm LM, Choi SY, de Souza WM, Chiu IM, Umemori H, Weaver SC, Plante KS, Abraham J. Molecular basis for shifted receptor recognition by an encephalitic arbovirus. Cell 2025 May 29;188(11):2957-2973.e28.
- Fan X, Li W, Oros J, Plung JS, Plante JA, Basu H, Nagappan-Chettiar S, Boeckers JM, Tjang LV, Mann CJ, Brusic V, Buck TK, Varnum H, Yang P, Malcolm LM, Choi SY, de Souza WM, Chiu IM, Umemori H, Weaver SC, Plante KS, Abraham J. Molecular basis for shifted receptor recognition by an encephalitic arbovirus. bioRxiv 2025 Jan 2;.
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