title: Growth Characteristics of Alkhumra Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Mammalian Cell Lines.
abstract: Alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV) is a flavivirus that was discovered in 1995 in Saudi Arabia. Clinical manifestations of AHFV infection include hemorrhagic fever, hepatitis, and encephalitis with a reported mortality rate as high as 25%. There are no published data on the growth characteristics of AHFV in mammalian cell lines. The objective of this study was to examine the ability of AHFV to grow and propagate in four of the commonly used mammalian cell culture lines and to determine the virus growth curve characteristics in each.
  
  
  
  Human epidermoid carcinoma (HEp-2), LLC-MK2, Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK), and Vero cell lines were inoculated with AHFV. The virus production by each cell line was determined by growth curve studies. Mean titers were calculated and expressed as median tissue culture infective dose per mL (TCID50/mL).
  
  
  
  AHFV grew and propagated to variable titers in the employed cell lines. The highest mean titers were observed in the LLC-MK2, followed by the MDCK, Vero, and HEP-2, in descending order.
  
  
  
  The growth curve studies showed that AHFV can propagate in the four types of cell lines to variable titers. LLC-MK2 cells are superior to MDCK, Vero, and HEP-2 for propagation of AHFV.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .
authors.forename: Tariq A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Madani
authors.affiliation: 2 Scientific Chair of Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Alamoudi for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .
authors.forename: El-Tayb M E
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Abuelzein
authors.affiliation: 3 Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .|4 Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .
authors.forename: Esam I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Azhar
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .
authors.forename: Hussein M S
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Al-Bar
authors.affiliation: 2 Scientific Chair of Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Alamoudi for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .|3 Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .
authors.forename: Ahmed M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: 6 Galveston National Laboratory, Departments of Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch , Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000502:physiology; D004285:Dogs; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D014776:Virus Cultivation / Q000379:methods*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus; HEp-2; LLC-MK2; MDCK; TCID50; Vero; growth curve; indirect fluorescent antibody test