A Fatal Case in Newborn Piglets with Getah Virus Infection : Isolation of the Virus

Abstract

In October 1985, a fatally peracute disease of newborn piglets occurred in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. The disease was characterized by depression, tremor, and yellowish-brown diarrhea. A virus showing cytopathic effect (CPE) in ESK cell culture was isolated from the brain, lungs, kidneys, tonsil, and intestine of al1 4 dead piglets. One of the isolates was cloned and named Kanagawa strain. The virus of the Kanagawa strain was identified as Getah virus, a member of alphavirus of the family Togaviridae, from the results of physicochemical, biological, and serological properties.