| proteolytic cleavage of vp2, an outer capsid protein of african horse sickness virus, by species-specific serum proteases enhances infectivity in culicoides. | purified african horse sickness virus (ahsv) was fed, as part of a blood meal, to adult females from a susceptible colony of culicoides variipennis, established in the insectories at the institute for animal health, pirbright laboratory, uk. the meal consisted of heparinized blood obtained from ovine, bovine, equine (horse and donkey) or canine sources spiked with ahsv serotype 9 (ahsv9). the infectivity levels observed for c. variipennis varied significantly, according to the source of the bloo ... | 1995 | 7595366 |