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Temperature-sensitive mutants of the related orbiviruses, Wallal and Mudjinbarry, recombine with high frequency when grown in pairs in cell culture. The genome of each virus consists of discrete segments of double-stranded RNA and high frequency recombination suggests that reassortment of genome segments occurs rather than classical recombination. Electrophoresis in acrylamide gels of RNA extracted from the progeny of a cross between Wallal ts 101 and Mudjinbarry ts 3 mutants, revealed that three plaque isolates of 60 tested differed in RNA pattern from each of the parent viruses and from each other. Further analysis of the electrophoretic profiles suggested that the isolates were recombinants with RNA segments derived from each of the parent viruses.

Mosquitoes collected near Darwin, Northern Territory, in 1974 yielded two virus strains. One was identified as Sindbis virus, not previously isolated from the Northern Territory. The other is antigenically distinct from viruses previously isolated from arthropods in Australia, and the name "Leanyer" is proposed for it. Its properties suggest that it may be a togavirus serologically unrelated to available alphaviruses and flaviviruses.