Transposon
linker insertion mutagenesis of a full-length infectious clone of the
highly pathogenic classical swine fever virus (CSFV) isolate Brescia (pBIC) was used to identify genetic determinants of CSFV
virulence and host range. A
virus mutant, RB-C22 (RB-C22v), possessing a 19-residue tag
insertion at the carboxyl end of E1 was constructed. RB-C22v and the parental
virus pBIC (pBICv) exhibited similar growth characteristics on primary porcine
macrophage cell cultures although RB-C22v produced significantly smaller plaques on SK6
cell cultures.
In vivo, RB-C22v was markedly attenuated in swine. In contrast with pBIC infection, where mortality was 100%, all RB-C22v-infected pigs survived infection remaining clinically normal. Additionally, chimeras of the Brescia strain and the
attenuated vaccine strain CS were constructed and evaluated for viral
virulence in swine. Chimeras 138.8v and 337.14v, chimeras containing the E2
glycoprotein of CS and
chimeric virus 319.1v, which contained only the CS E2
glycoprotein in the Brescia background, were attenuated in swine. Chimeras encoding all Brescia structural proteins in a CS genetic background remained attenuated, indicating that additional mutations outside the structural region are important for CS
vaccine virus attenuation. The combined results indicate a significant role for E1
glycoprotein and E2 glycoprotein in swine
virulence.