Systematic Veterinary Virology

CULTIVATION

• TGEV does not grow well in cell culture. However, they grow in 3–4-day-old primary or secondary pig kidney monolayers and low passage porcine cultures (such as thyroid or testis). The cytopathic effect (CPE) may be observed after 3–7 days, characterised by cell rounding, enlargement and formation of syncytia.
• Wild-type TGEV (virus obtained from an outbreak in field is referred as wild type) does not grow readily in tissue culture, so several subpassages may be necessary before distinctive CPE become apparent.
• The cytopathic isolates must be confirmed as TGEV by FAT or by in-vitro neutralisation tests or by nucleic acid identification methods. Young piglets are more susceptible to TEGV, Hence, they are commonly used to cultivate TEGV in laboratories.