The present paper reports the propagation and partial characterization of calici-like virus particles previously observed in gut homogenates obtained from stunted broiler chicks. Radiolabelling experiments with [3H]uridine showed that the virus possesses an RNA genome and that it can replicate in primary chick embryo fibroblasts in the presence of actinomycin D. In vivo studies showed that the ...

Two classes of viruses, namely members of the Potyviridae and Caliciviridae, use a novel mechanism for the initiation of protein synthesis that involves the interaction of translation initiation factors with a viral protein covalently linked to the viral RNA, known as VPg. The calicivirus VPg proteins can interact directly with the initiation factors eIF4E and eIF3. Translation initiation on fe...

In order to understand the evolutionary mechanisms of persistence and diversification within the Caliciviridae, we have been exploiting endemic infection of feline calicivirus within five geographically distinct household groups of cats. By sequencing immunodominant and variable regions of the capsid gene, we identified the relative contribution of the different evolutionary processes employed ...

In order to locate amino acid residues involved in the formation of feline calicivirus (FCV) neutralizing epitopes, we analysed the capsid protein gene of monoclonal antibody neutralization-resistant variants of FCV. Amino acid substitutions in the variants were identified in the two hypervariable regions of the capsid protein. Four linear and two conformational epitopes were located in the reg...

The interaction of host-cell nucleic acid-binding proteins with the genomes of positive-stranded RNA viruses is known to play a role in the translation and replication of many viruses. To date, however, the characterization of similar interactions with the genomes of members of the family Caliciviridae has been limited to in vitro binding analysis. In this study, Feline calicivirus (FCV) has be...

The interaction of host cell nucleic acid-binding proteins with the genomes of positive stranded RNA viruses is known to play a role in the translation and replication of many viruses. To date however, the characterisation of similar interactions with the genomes of members of the Caliciviridae family has been limited to in vitro binding analysis. We have now used feline calicivirus (FCV) as a ...

The control of outbreaks of calicivirus infection in high-density, high-throughput populations is a challenge to both human and veterinary medicine. In such populations, the prevalence of infection is, in part, dependent on the levels of biosecurity and how this affects virus transmission. Here we show how longitudinal analysis of feline calicivirus (FCV) infection in an animal rescue shelter c...

Cheetah populations are diminishing rapidly in their natural habitat. One reason for their decline is thought to be a high susceptibility to (infectious) diseases because cheetahs in zoos suffer from high disease-induced mortality. Data on the health status of free-ranging cheetahs are scarce, and little is known about their exposure and susceptibility to infectious diseases. We determined sero...