title: Comparison of the plaque assay and 50% tissue culture infectious dose assay as methods for measuring filovirus infectivity.
abstract: Two common methods of quantifying filovirus infectivity, a plaque assay and 50% cell culture infectious dose (TCID50) endpoint dilution assay, were compared. The two assays were performed side by side using the same virus stock sample to determine the correlation between the results of the two assays. The TCID50 assay appeared to be more sensitive but slightly more variable, and there was a tenfold difference in the numerical results of these methods of enumeration. The advantages and disadvantages of both assays are discussed. Both methods are useful and practicable in filovirus research, and this comparison will be hugely beneficial to the filovirus research community as it seeks to become more united. Further work in this area should be performed to ensure consistency in filovirus research.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JQ, UK. Electronic address: sjsmither@dstl.gov.uk.
authors.forename: Sophie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Smither
authors.forename: Calli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lear-Rooney
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biggins
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pettitt
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lever
authors.forename: Gene G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Olinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D016563:Filoviridae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D050296:Microbial Viability; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014709:Vero Cells; D019562:Viral Load / Q000379:methods*; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay / Q000379:methods*; D014776:Virus Cultivation / Q000379:methods
keywords: 50% tissue culture infectious dose; ACDP; Advisory Committee for Dangerous Pathogens; Assays; BSL; CPE; Counting; FBS; FCS; Filoviruses; PD; PFU; Plaque; TCID(50); Tissue culture infectious dose; biosafety level; cytopathic effects; fetal bovine serum; fetal calf serum; plaque forming unit; proportional distance