LeDantec virus: identification as a rhabdovirus associated with human infection and formation of a new serogroup.

LeDantec virus, originally recovered in 1965 from a patient with a febrile illness in Senegal, was observed by thin section electron microscopy to be bullet-shaped, representative of members of the rhabdovirus group, with mean dimensions of 164 X 78 nm. Particles were observed budding from the plasma membrane and moderate numbers accumulated in the intercellular spaces. In three mammalian cell lines, LeDantec virus was rapidly cytopathic and replicated to moderately high titres. In complement fixation tests with other known rhabdoviruses, LeDantec was found to be related to Keuraliba virus, a previously ungrouped agent isolated from rodents in Senegal in 1968. We propose the formation of a new LeDantec serogroup comprising these two viruses.

Yellow fever monoclonal antibodies: type-specific and cross-reactive determinants identified by immunofluorescence.

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the envelope glycoprotein and the NV3 non-structural viral protein of yellow fever (YF) were tested by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique against a variety of YF virus strains and heterologous flaviviruses. Monoclonal antibodies directed against the envelope glycoprotein exhibited YF strain-specificity, YF type-specificity, broad group cross-reactivity, or limited subgroup reactivity (YF + Banzi or YF + Koutango + Zika + Usutu + Uganda S). Monoclonal antibodies directed against NV3 reacted either with YF + Koutango or with YF + Banzi. These findings generally correlated with the results of biological tests reported previously. Monoclonal antibodies that were type-specific to YF will be useful for the rapid specific identification of YF virus isolates and are available from the Centers for Disease Control on request.