Homology between feline herpesvirus-1 and canine herpesvirus.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of the relatedness between feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) and canine herpesvirus (CHV). Immunoprecipitation studies using antisera to FHV-1 and CHV revealed that both share virion glycoprotein antigens with apparent molecular weights of approximately 60 and 68 kDa. Two non-glycosylated, virion-associated antigens of each virus also displayed weaker cross reactivity. Southern blot hybridization experiments indicated that restriction fragments which represented approximately 51% of the FHV-1 genome hybridized to CHV DNA under conditions which allowed less than 7% base pair mismatch. This is the first molecular characterization of cross-reactivity between FHV-1 and another herpesvirus.