Growth of vesicular stomatitis virus in mosquito cell lines

Cocal strain of vesicular stomatitis virus was propagated in Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti cell lines. Infection of the cell lines at 30 °C resulted in a low-titered virus infection involving only a small proportion of the cell population with no cytopathic effects. Virus titers in A. albopictus were increased by adsorption with DEAE-dextran or by increasing the temperature of incubation. Use of a high-input multiplicity of virus and incubation of cells at 37 °C resulted in 100% infection of cells, allowing an electron-microscopic study of virus development. These studies indicated that virus maturation in A. albopictus cells occurred primarily at intracytoplasmic vesicles.