Accelerated plaque formation by fowlpox virus in the presence of chymotrypsin.

Chymotrypsin enhanced fowlpox virus plaque formation in chick embryo cell cultures. A simplified plaque assay for fowlpox virus is described. Plaques were produced in 3 days when chymotrypsin was included in a serum-free fluid overlay. Plaques were also produced in 5 to 6 days under an agar overlay when a medium containing fetal calf serum was employed. Kinetics of plaque formation were also studied, and it was shown that fowlpox virus plaque diameters grow at a linear rate.