Comparative Susceptibility of Kidney Cells from Different Monkey Species to Enteric Viruses (Poliomyelitis, Coxsackie, and Echo Groups)

Abstract

Kidney tissue cultures of 13 species of monkeys and 4 species of baboons were tested for comparative susceptibility to the enteric viruses belonging to the poliomyelitis, Coxsackie and echo groups. Cells from sooty mangabey (Cercocebus fuliginosus), white-crowned mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus lunulatus), and diana (Cercopithecus diana roloway) monkeys from Africa, and cynomolgus (Macaca cynomolgus) monkeys from Singapore and the Philippine Islands, closely resembled the cells of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) from India in their high susceptibilities to the viruses tested. Cells from the African red grass monkey (Erythrocebus patas) were found to be twice as susceptible as rhesus cells to polioviruses, and about equally susceptible to echo types 7, 8, and 12, and Coxsackie group B viruses. However, patas cells were resistant to plaque production when exposed to Coxsackie A9, and echo virus types 1, 3, 4, 6′, 9, and 14. Similar results were obtained with African white-nosed (Cercopithecus nictitans buttikoferi), mona (Cercopithecus mona campbelli) and mustache (Cercopithecus cephus) monkeys. African green (Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus) and tantalus (Cercopithecus aethiops tantalus) monkeys yielded cells highly susceptible to all three groups of viruses tested, showing even greater susceptibility than rhesus cultures to the echo viruses. Four species of baboon (Papio papio, P. cynocephalus, P. doguera, and Mandrillus leucophaeus) yielded kidney cultures almost equal to rhesus cultures in susceptibility to poliovirus. Coxsackie virus A9 and echo virus type 1 were not cytopathogenic in yellow baboon (P. cynocephalus) cultures, while drill baboon (M. leucophaeus) cells proved highly susceptible to echo viruses. Poliovirus plaques were produced in the lemur, Perodicticus potto. The suggestion is made that cells of differing susceptibilities might offer advantages for isolations of enteric viruses from clinical specimens; they might be used as differential media are in the isolation of enteric bacterial colonies. Because of the greater susceptibility of patas cells over those of rhesus or cynomolgus, they also offer an advantage for the detection of small amounts of poliovirus.