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Biomedical subjects

H Kurogi

Publications and source records attributed to H Kurogi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Electron microscopy of Akabane virus.

Electron microscopy of negatively stained purified virus and of thin sections of infected cells and tissues showed Akabane virus being similar in morphology and morphogenesis to members of the family Bunyaviridae.

Animals

An attenuated strain of Akabane virus: a candidate for live virus vaccine.

An attempt was made to attenuate the high virulent OBE-1 strain of Akabane virus by adaptation to low temperature. In it the virus was subjected to passage through HmLu-1 cell cultures at 30 degrees C. Cloning was carried out on the virus which had undergone 20 passages through these cultures to select a strain adapted to low temperature. Finally, ten clones were obtained. As a result, nine strains of clone in which virus replication was poor in HmLu-1 cell cultures at 40 degrees C were obtained. Of them, five strains of clone produced uniform plaques. Of these strains, one, or the TS-C2 strain, was selected. It was considerably lower both in peripheral infectivity to suckling mice and in intracerebral infectivity to 3-week-old mice than the OBE-1 strain. Calves and pregnant cows inoculated with the TS-C2 strain by the intracerebral, intravenous, or subcutaneous route were free from pyrexia, leukopenia, and viremia. Virus recovery was negative from various organs and fetuses. All the animals inoculated, however, were found to have neutralizing antibody produced. The results mentioned above suggested that the TS-C2 strain might have been so attenuated as to be available as a candidate strain for a live virus vaccine.

Animals

Immune response of various animals to Akabane disease live virus vaccine.

When various animals and routes of inoculation were examined for antibody response to Akabane disease live virus vaccine, the intracerebral (ic) inoculation of mice induced a better antibody response than the subcutaneous (sc) inoculation of calves, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, or rats. Immunogenicity was compared among lots of this vaccine by performing ic inoculation of mice and sc inoculation of calves and guinea pigs. As a result, there was no distinct significant difference between any two lots of the vaccine, regardless of the animal species used. There was a tendency that the larger the dose of inoculation of the virus, the earlier the production of neutralizing (NT) antibody took place in calves inoculated with the vaccine, and the higher the antibody titer and the rate of taking a turn for positivity for antibody became in these calves. When calves immunized with the vaccine and cows in the field possessing NT antibody were given booster inoculation with the vaccine, the antibody titer showed a significant increase in almost all the calves and cows that exhibited an NT antibody titer of 4 or less at the time of booster inoculation. There were, however, no changes in antibody titer in such calves and cows as presenting an NT antibody titer of 8 or more. Calves and pregnant cows immunized with the vaccine were prevented from viremia and fetal infection when challenged by inoculation with virulent virus.

Animals

Development of inactivated vaccine for Akabane disease.

Virus inactivated by formalin or beta-propiolactone was superior to that inactivated by ether and heating in immunogenicity to mice. There were no significant differences in the antibody response of mice among such adjuvants as aluminum phosphate gel, aluminum hydroxide gel, and sodium arginate gel. When cattle were immunized with vaccine inactivated by formalin and adsorbed to aluminum phosphate gel, an excellent effect was obtained by injection with two doses of 3 ml each given at a 4-week interval. It was also suggested that mice and guinea pigs might be available for the potency test of vaccine. When calves and pregnant goats were injected with vaccine in the same manner as mentioned above, they were prevented from viremia and fetal infection caused by challenge virus. Even when stored at 4 degrees C for 12 months, vaccine was found to retain its stabilized immunogenicity. When pregnant cows were injected with vaccine in the field, the positive rate of neutralizing antibody was 88.5% in the 2 months after the first injection. When other pregnant cows were injected twice with vaccine, this rate was 34.6, 100, 65.4, and 45.8% in the 1, 2, 6, and 10 months, respectively, after the first injection. In another experiment, the antibody levels attained declined rather rapidly in several months. A single dose of vaccine given one year later provoked a rapid antibody response. The vaccination caused no clinical symptoms, abnormal birth, or decrease in milk yield in these cows.

Animals

Congenital abnormalities in newborn calves after inoculation of pregnant cows with Akabane virus.

A fresh isolate of Akabane virus was inoculated intravenously into 11 seronegative pregnant cows at 62 to 96 days of gestation. Two of the cows were slaughtered 18 days post-inoculation, and the fetuses were examined; the remaining cows were allowed to give birth. All the inoculated cows developed viremia and neutralizing antibody for the virus, indicating that the cows were actually infected with the virus, although fever or any other clinical abnormalities were not noted. The virus further infected the fetuses. This was proved by virus isolation in one of the two fetuses from the slaughtered cows, and polymyositis was noted in both fetuses. Six of seven calves born alive had anti-Akabane antibody in their precolostral sera, indicating that in utero infection with the virus took place in these calves. Some of the in utero-infected calves demonstrated congenital abnormalities such as cerebral defect, hydranencephaly, and arthrogryposis. These findings provide additional evidence that Akabane virus is the etiological agent of epizootic abortion and congenital arthrogryposis-hydranencephaly syndrome in cattle.

Abortion, Veterinary

Experimental infection of pregnant goats with Akabane virus.

Ten pregnant goats were inoculated intravenously with a newly isolated strain of Akabane virus. As a result, vertical infection and experimental reproduction of congenital morphological abnormality were accomplished. Fetuses were removed from two of them 10 days after inoculation and used for recovery of the virus. Clinically, the goats were free from any abnormal sign. Mild viremia was demonstrated in one of them inoculated with the virus at 30 days of pregnancy, but the fetus removed from this goat was negative for virus recovery. No viremia was demonstrated in the other one inoculated with the virus at 55 days of pregnancy, but two fetuses removed from it were positive for virus recovery. No abnormal clinical signs were observed in eight goats inoculated with the virus at 40 approximately 115 days of pregnancy, but leukopenia was noticed in five of these goats. Viremia was demonstrated in all the goats. It persisted for 2 to approximately 4 days. Seven goats were held under observation up to the time of spontaneous parturition. Ten neonatal kids were obtained. All of them were normal, except three which were particularly weak and one which was mummified fetus. When precolostral serum was examined, it contained neutralizing antibody against Akabane virus in five of eight neonatal kids. Two fetuses (120 days of intrauterine life) were removed from the remaining one pregnant goat 80 days after inoculation. Congenital morphological anomaly was reproduced in one of them. The other was a normal fetus. Serum collected from the umbilical cord was positive for neutralizing antibody against Akabane virus in both fetuses.

Animals

Complement fixation test of Nebraska calf diarrhea virus with calf serum.

A complement fixation (CF) test for neonatal calf diarrhea has been developed with Nebraska calf diarrhea virus (NCDV) as antigen. The CF antigenicity of NCDV appeared in BK cell cultures for the first time 3 days after inoculation. Usually, the unconcentrated BK cell culture fluid infected with NCDV possessed poor CF antigenicity. The fluid concentrated by ultracentrifugation and ultrafiltration and with polyethylene glycol 6000 revealed a high-titered CF antigenicity to antiserum against NCDV. The antigen was not sensitive to lipid solvents, but was relatively resistant to heating. It was recognized that the concentrated fluid of cell culture infected with NCDV was available as antigen in the CF test for the serological demonstration of infection with a calf reovirus-like agent. The wide prevalence of diarrhea among Japanese calves with the calf reovirus-like agent was revealed from the results of CF and neutralization tests of NCDV.

Animals

Epizootic congenital arthrogryposis-hydranencephaly syndrome in cattle: isolation of Akabane virus from affected fetuses.

Previous serolgoical studies strongly suggested Akabane virus to be the etiologic agent of epizootic abortion and congenital arthrogryposis-hydranencephaly in cattle, and this view was further corroborated in this study by the isolation of the virus from an aborted fetus in an epizootic of the disease and from a fetus extracted froma cow which was suggested by serologic tests to have a recent infection with the virus. The latter fetus had histological changes of encephalomyelitis and polymyositis, and specific antigens of Akabane virus was shown by the immunofluorescent technique in brain tissues as well as skeletal muscular tissues. The virus was recovered from various fetal tissues and fluids, and in relatively large amounts from brain, spinal cord, cerebral fluid, skeletal muscles and fetal placenta. The intracranial inoculation of suckling mice, 1-2 days of age, was the most sensitive system for Akabane virus isolation and HmLu-1, a continuous cell line from hamster lung, seemed almost as sensitive as suckling mice.

Abortion, Veterinary