Advantages of multiple cell culture systems for detection of mixed-virus infections.
Simultaneous infections by two or more viruses occur frequently, especially in immunosuppressed patients. In order to detect more than one viral agent in a single specimen, multiple cell systems have been employed in our laboratory. Specimens are routinely inoculated into four different cell cultures, namely: MRC-5, a human diploid lung fibroblast cell strain; A549, a human continuous cell line; primary guinea pig embryo (GPE) cell culture, and primary rhesus monkey kidney (RhMK) cell culture. For rapid detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigen, MRC-5 cells grown in shell vials containing coverslips are also inoculated with the same specimens followed by centrifugation. During 1989, nine cases of multiple-virus isolations were obtained in this laboratory. In all nine patients, CMV was detected in MRC-5 cells. Five of the nine cases were co-infected with HSV-1, three were co-infected with adenovirus, and one was co-infected with both HSV-1 and adenovirus. All four adenovirus isolates were obtained in A549 cells. Of the six HSV-1 isolates, one was detected in all three cell cultures, e.g. MRC-5, A549 and GPE; one was detected in both MRC-5 and A549 cells, and four were isolated in a single-cell type only. For nine CMV-positive cases, five were obtained by both conventional and centrifugation cultures, two each were detected by centrifugation or conventional culture only. Thus for a maximum detection of viruses present in a single specimen, it is suggested that multiple-cell-culture systems, together with more than one technique, should be employed.
Fong
C K
CK
Virology Reference Laboratory, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, Connecticut 06516.
Landry
M L
ML
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014776:Virus Cultivation / Q000379:methods*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*