Sunil-Chandra, N.P.Efstathiou, S.Nash, A.A.2017-08-212017-08-211992Journal of General Virology. 1992; 73(12): 3275-3279.0022-1317 (Print)1465-2099 (Electronic)0022-1317 (Linking)http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/17180Indexed in MEDLINEMurine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is able to persist in spleen cells of infected mice. To determine the cell type harbouring persistent virus, spleen cells from infected animals were separated into immunoglobulin (Ig)-positive (B cell-enriched), Ig-negative (T cellenriched) and plastic-adherent (macrophage-enriched) fractions. These cells were co-cultivated with permissive BHK-21 cells in an infectious centre assay. The consistent recovery and enrichment of infectious centres in the Ig-positive fraction clearly demonstrates that B cells are a major site of virus persistence/latency. This observation indicates that MHV-68 is biologically similar to Epstein-Barr virus and other members of the B cell lymphotropic gammaherpesvirus 1 subgroup.enB-Lymphocytes-microbiologyHerpesviridae-growth & developmentHerpesviridae-pathogenicityGammaherpesvirinaeGammaherpesvirinae-geneticsArticle