Continuous production of baculovirus in a cascade of insect-cell reactors.
Insect cells (Spodoptera frugiperda) were cultured in a continuous stirred-tank reactor. The effluent was led to a cascade of another two reactors, each containing half the volume of the cell-growth reactor, where the cells were infected with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. For about 10 days production of 10(7) polyhedra (virus particles embedded in a protein capsule) per cm3 was achieved. This short production time compared to previous experiments involving an analogous system with a single infection vessel of equal volume to the cell-growth vessel is ascribed to the accelerated occurrence of the so-called passage effect (a decrease of infectious virus with time). From the results of a computer model it was concluded that this passage effect was accelerated by the change in residence time distribution as compared to the earlier experiments.
van Lier
F L
FL
Department of Food Science, Food and Bioengineering Group, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
van den End
E J
EJ
de Gooijer
C D
CD
Vlak
J M
JM
Tramper
J
J
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000254:growth & development*; D007313:Insecta / Q000166:cytology; D014776:Virus Cultivation