Antigenic variation among strains of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Four strains of vesicular stomatitis virus--New Jersey (Hazelhurst, Guatemala, Panama, and Concan) were compared by cross-neutralization and complement-fixation tests. They were indistinguishable by complement-fixation test; however, by plaque-reduction neutralization method, slight antigenic differences were observed between the Hazelhurst and the three other strains. It is concluded that these antigenic differences are insufficient to warrant reclassification of vesicular stomatitis virus--New Jersey into two distinct subtypes, as has been recently proposed.