| Abstract: | As a result of virological studies, 185 lung tissue specimens from 4 rodent species caught near Khabarovsk were isolated and fixed in the passages of cultured Vero-6 cells of 68 hantavirus strains. The capacity of the strains to adapt to the cells was assessed by using the adaptive index involving the mean rates of successful isolation, its duration, hantavirus antigen titer in the material used for infection. The strains of hantavirus serotypes were noted for the highest adaptive properties, which are ecologically associated with rodents of the family Mus, such as field and East-Asiatic mice. Lower adaptive capacities were established for the strains of hantavirus serotypes, which are ecologically related to rodents of the family Cricetidae, such as large and large-toothed redback voles. The differences found in the adaptive capacities of hantavirus strains cultured in Vero-E6 cells reflect the degree of specialization of some hantavirus serotypes to particular host rodent species during their long-term coevolution. |
