Cultivation and characterization of three strains of murine rotavirus

Abstract

Three distinct strains of murine rotavirus were adapted to growth in cell culture. These strains are genetically related but not identical; they are serotypically heterogeneous. The cultivatable strains were substantially more infectious (approximately 10(6)-fold) for suckling mice than heterologous simian rotaviruses were. Homologous murine rotavirus strains spread from inoculated to uninoculated litter mates and caused diarrhea, while heterologous rotaviruses did not spread and cause illness.