Host range, growth property, and virulence of the smallpox vaccine: vaccinia virus Tian Tan strain.
Vaccinia Tian Tan (VTT) was used as a vaccine against smallpox in China for millions of people before 1980, yet the biological characteristics of the virus remain unclear. We have characterized VTT with respect to its host cell range, growth properties in vitro, and virulence in vivo. We found that 11 of the 12 mammalian cell lines studied are permissive to VTT infection whereas one, CHO-K1, is non-permissive. Using electron microscopy and sequence analysis, we found that the restriction of VTT replication in CHO-K1 is at a step before viral maturation probably due to the loss of the V025 gene. Moreover, VTT is significantly less virulent than vaccinia WR but remains neurovirulent in mice and causes significant body weight loss after intranasal inoculation. Our data demonstrate the need for further attenuation of VTT to serve either as a safer smallpox vaccine or as a live vaccine vector for other pathogens.
Fang
Qing
Q
Modern Virology Research Center and AIDS Center, National Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei 430072, PR China.
Yang
Lin
L
Zhu
Weijun
W
Liu
Li
L
Wang
Haibo
H
Yu
Wenbo
W
Xiao
Genfu
G
Tien
Po
P
Zhang
Linqi
L
Chen
Zhiwei
Z
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012900:Smallpox Vaccine; D013045:Species Specificity; D014615:Vaccinia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014774:Virulence; D019065:Virus Assembly; D014779:Virus Replication; D015431:Weight Loss
D012900:Smallpox Vaccine