Comparison of biological and molecular properties among canine distemper virus strains.

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Abstract
Ten strains of canine distemper virus consisting of seven attenuated and three virulent ones were compared for their biological properties, i.e. pock-forming capacity on the chorioallantoic membranes of chicken embryos, neurovirulence in suckling mice, growth patterns in Vero cells including type of CPE, plaque size and inclusion-body formation, as well as their molecular properties including viral proteins and RNAs. Marked difference among strains was found in these biological properties, especially in pock-forming capacity, neurovirulence in suckling mice, and plaque size. All the virulent strains showed low pock-forming capacity, neurovirulence in suckling mice, and plaque size. All the virulent strains showed low pock-forming capacity compared with relatively high capacity in most of the attenuated strains, suggesting that this property might be associated with a decrease of virulence in dogs. Correlation between plaque size and neurovirulence in mice was also suggested. On the other hand, only slight difference in the electrophoretic mobility of virual proteins and RNAs was noticed in some strains. These findings may serve as basic data for further establishment of strain marker as well as of attenuation marker.