Abstract
In Taiwan, a petechial haemorrhage disease associated with mortality has affected marbled eels ( Anguilla marmorata ). The eels were revealed to be infected with adomavirus (MEAdoV, previously recognized as a polyoma‐like virus). In this study, cell line DMEPF‐5 was established from the pectoral fin of a diseased eel. DMEPF‐5 was passaged >70 times and thoroughly proliferated in L‐15 medium containing 2%–15% foetal bovine serum at 20–30°C. Transcripts of neural cell adhesion molecule 1 and nestin genes, and nucleic acids of MEAdoV and a novel reovirus (MERV) in the cells were demonstrated by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the AdoV LO8 proteins mostly relate to adenovirus adenain, whereas MERV is close to American grass carp reovirus in Aquareovirus G , based on a partial VP2 nucleotide sequence. DMEPF‐5 cells are susceptible to additional viral infection. Taken together, the marbled eels with the haemorrhagic disease have coinfection with MEAdoV and MERV, and the pathogenic role of MEAdoV and MERV warrants research. DMEPF‐5 has gene expression associated with mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells and is the first cell line persistently infected with adomavirus and aquareovirus. DMEPF‐5 can facilitate studies of such viruses and haemorrhagic disease.