Production in Vero cells of an inactivated rabies vaccine from strain FRV/K for animal and human use.
A new concentrated and purified rabies vaccine was produced in Vero cells. Two rabies virus strains, the fixed rabies virus Pasteur (FRV) and Pittman Moore (PM) were adapted to Vero cells by 20 cycles of alternating passages in the brain of weaning mice. Intracerebral (i.c.) inoculation of weaning mice was followed then by 17 and 20 serial passages in Vero cells of RFV and PM strains, respectively. The adapted strains designated as FRV/K and PM/K gave titres of 10(6) +/- 1.5 log (LD50/ml for i.c. inoculated mice) in several harvests taken from one infected cell culture. Pooled harvests were concentrated 20-fold by ultrafiltration and were tested as animal vaccine after inactivation with beta-propiolactone (BPL). Another vaccine preparation destined for human use, in addition to concentration and inactivation, was also purified by gel filtration. Control tests revealed that the antigenic content of different strain FRV/K harvests was very high in comparison with that of strain PM/K and the reference tissue culture vaccine (RIV, Netherland). In sheep the antibody response induced by the FRV/K strain was very high; serum neutralizing index (NI) higher than 4 was reached 40 days after the second vaccine dose, whereas the vaccine preparation from strain PM/K gave NI of 2.3 and the reference vaccine NI of 3.8, respectively. Safety tests in rabbits and guinea pigs showed neither pyrogenicity nor toxicity.
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D012756:Sheep; D014611:Vaccination; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000276:immunology; D014709:Vero Cells
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated