Infectious bronchitis virus was propagated in chicken kidney cell culture, showing cytopathogenic effect (CPE). It also multiplied in chick-embryo cell culture, but failed to exhibit CPE. Neither virus propagation nor CPE was observed in cell cultures of first generation from the kidney of cattle, swine, goat, dog, rabbit, guinea pig, or hamster, or from the mouse embryo, or in passage cells of BHK-21 (hamster kidney origin), PK-15 or PS (swine kidney origin), or Vero (green-monkey kidney origin).
There were no differences in the appearance of CPE on culture cells, resistance to heating at 37 or 56°C, or antigenicity after virus inactivation between a strain obtained from passage in chicken kidney cells and the initial strain. The former was distinguished from the latter, since it was well propagated in chicken kidney cells, delayed in multiplying in embryonated hen's eggs, and weakly pathogenic for chickens and chick embryos.
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