Abstract

Antibody-mediated enhancement of caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) virus in goat synovial membrane (GSM) cells was investigated with regards to time of onset and severity of lesions. Homologous antibody was serially diluted to enhance the growth of the virus as this provided both optimal and subnormal concentrations of the antibody. The cells were incubated for five days and later stained with Giemsa stain. Marked cytopathic effects (CPE) were observed early at sub-optimal concentrations of the antibody indicating that the virus was enhanced at these concentrations. Possible epidemiological implications of these are discussed with relevance to the pathogenesis of retrovirus infections in man and animals.

Key words: CAEV, GSM cells, antibody-mediated enhancement, cytopathic effects.