ANTIGENIC VARIANTS OF THE SOLDADO VIRUS (NAIROVIRUS BUNYAVIRIDAE) ISOLATED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD

Abstract

Antigenic analysis of 9 strains of the Soldado virus, originating from 7 different countries of Central and North America, Africa, northern Europe and of the Pacific area was carried out by complement fixation and immunodiffusion tests. Three strains isolated from Ornithodoros capensis, including the reference Trinidad strain, were related within the same relatively heterogeneous subgroup C, being characteristic for the New World. Five other strains isolated from O. maritimus were classified to form another, much more homogeneous subgroup M, characteristic for the Old World (related to the Ireland strain). The South Africa strain, isolated form Ornithodoros, probably O. capensis, could not be classified in either of the above 2 subgroups. Thus, the Soldado virus in fact represents a complex of more or less closely related strains, but not a single virus.