Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus: purification and classification

Abstract. Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV) has been isolated from redfin perch, Perca fluviatilis L., and cultured rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. On the basis of virion size, icosahedral morphology and ultrastructural characteristics of virus-infected cells, EHNV was designated as an iridovirus. The following observations outlined in this paper confirm the designation: (1) The number and complexity of proteins in purified EHNV and the ordered appearance of virus-specific proteins in infected cells are similar to that described for the iridovirus, frog virus 3 (FV3). (2) EHNV isolated from the cytoplasm of infected cells contains a lipid membrane associated with 7–9 nm capsomeric subunits containing a 52-kD protein. (3) The morphogenesis of EHNV within cytoplasmic inclusion bodies resembles that of FV3 and a piscine iridovirus isolated from goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.) (4) EHNV also resembles FV3 in its association with the cytoskeleton of infected cells. (5) EHNV DNA, like that of other iridoviruses, is resistant to digestion with HpaII, a restriction endonuclease which does not cleave DNA at CCGG sequences where the internal cytosine is methylated.