Takahashi M, Yunker C E, Clifford C M, Nakano W, Fujino N, Tanifuji K, Thomas L A
J Med Virol. 1982;10(3):181-93. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890100304.
Midway virus, a new tick-borne virus isolated from two species of Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) ticks of the capensis group (O capensis, O denmarki), is described from Midway, Kure, and Manana islands in the Central Pacific (Hawaiian Archipelago) and from northern Honshu (Japan). Midway virion is enveloped, unusually large, acid and temperature sensitive, and its type of nucleic acid is RNA. Complement-fixation (CF) tests show a close relation of Midway to Nyamanini virus, which has been isolated from ardeid birds and Argas ticks in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeastern Asia. However, cross-box tests (CF, mouse and tissue culture neutralization, immunofluorescence) show that these two viruses are quite distinct. Midway virus is lethal for newborn Swiss mice inoculated by intracerebral, but not intraperitoneal route. It fails to kill four-week-old mice by either route. Midway virus causes cytopathic effects in BHK-21 cells and titerable plaques in Vero cells. Antibodies to it were prevalent among nestlings of Larus crassirostris (Black-tailed Gull) on Aomatsushima I., but were scarce among those of Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron) of the same island.
中途岛病毒是一种新的蜱传病毒，从太平洋中部（夏威夷群岛）的中途岛、久良岛和马纳纳岛以及本州北部（日本）的开普敦组（O capensis、O denmarki）的两种奥氏钝缘蜱中分离得到。中途岛病毒粒子有包膜，异常大，对酸和温度敏感，其核酸类型为RNA。补体结合（CF）试验表明中途岛病毒与尼亚马尼尼病毒密切相关，尼亚马尼尼病毒已从非洲、印度次大陆和东南亚的鹭科鸟类和波斯锐缘蜱中分离得到。然而，交叉试验（CF、小鼠和组织培养中和试验、免疫荧光试验）表明这两种病毒截然不同。中途岛病毒对经脑内接种而非腹腔接种的新生瑞士小鼠具有致死性。无论通过哪种途径，它都无法杀死四周龄的小鼠。中途岛病毒在BHK - 21细胞中引起细胞病变效应，在Vero细胞中产生可滴定的蚀斑。在青间岛上，厚嘴鸥雏鸟中普遍存在针对该病毒的抗体，但同一岛屿上的夜鹭雏鸟中则很少见。
