title: Simian cytomegalovirus and contamination of oral poliovirus vaccines.
abstract: In the 1950s the use of primary rhesus macaque kidney cultures to propagate poliovirus for vaccine production led to the contamination of vaccines with simian virus 40 (SV40). African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cultures free of SV40 were used as an alternative cell substrate for vaccine manufacture. In this study we evaluate oral poliovirus seeds, vaccine bulks and vaccines themselves for the presence of a common contaminant of AGMK cultures, simian cytomegalovirus (SCMV). Using sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, nearly half of the samples analysed were found to be contaminated with SCMV sequences. However, vaccine bulks, positive by PCR for SCMV failed to show any evidence of infectious virus in these studies. One poliovirus vaccine and one seed, propagated on rhesus macaque kidney cultures were found to be positive for the rhesus monkey CMV by PCR.
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, Potters Bar, UK. sbaylis@nibsc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sally A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Baylis
authors.forename: Nita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Philip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Minor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines / Q000592:standards*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines