Establishment of a cell line from swim bladder of the Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) for propagation of Grass Carp Reovirus Genotype II.

Abstract A cell line was established from swim bladder of the Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) (CiSB), which was permissive for infection and propagation of Grass Carp Reovirus (GCRV). CiSB cells displayed optimal growth at 27 °C using M199 medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and a fibroblastic-like morphology. Karyotype analysis revealed that the average diploid chromosome number was 52 in 58% of cells at passage 60 compared to the wild type Grass carp cells (2n = 48). Infection with GCRV II isolate Hunan1307 was tracked by immunofluorescence and virus titration assay. The virus titer reached 105.2 TCID50/mL on 7th days post infection (dpi). Healthy adult Grass carp that were challenged with the virus propagated onto CiSB cells, displayed the typical symptoms and histopathological changes of Grass carp hemorrhagic disease (GCHD). Therefore, the CiSB cells can be used to propagate GCRV II and serve as a useful tool to study the pathogenesis of GCHD.