Production of a feline parvovirusvaccine using monolayer cell systems in roller flasks and microcarriers.

A parvovirus-strain originating from a case of spontaneous panleukopenia has been adapted and propagated in a feline lung fibroblastic cell line. Cultivation of parvovirus infected monolayer cells was carried out in 11 glass flasks containing 50 ml media and on microcarriers in 0.5 - 101 stirring flasks with 0.5-61 media. Harvest of propagated virus from flask monolayer and microcarrier cultures was performed daily for 5 days during one week. The yields of virus antigen per/ml tissue culture media were equal in the two systems, as monitored by hemagglutination and ELISA assays. The seeding and harvesting procedures of virus were found to be simpler with the microcarrier system than with roller flasks. The scaling up is in progress and comparable results have been obtained in 101 scale.