[Studies on simian viruses as possible contaminants of inactivated virus vaccines. I. Direct and serologic detection of simian adenovirus SV20 (author's transl)].

In the Federal Republic of Germany inactivated vaccines against poliomyelitis and measles are still produced in monkey kidney cell cultures which may be contaminated by simian viruses. One of these viruses is the oncogenic adenovirus SV20. A control of monkey sera from the institute's monkey house showed a high incidence of hemagglutination-inhibiting and neutralizing antibodies against this virus (table 1). Experimentally could be demonstrated that inactivated virus vaccines may be contaminated with SV20 antigen. Vero cells were infected at the time of their seeding with small doses of SV20. After 7 and 14 days CPE and hemagglutinin were frequently undetectable although infectivity could be shown by passages (table 2). Vaccines experimentally contaminated with SV20 were injected into guinea-pigs or rabbits (tables 3-6). In this way small amounts of the contaminating virus antigen could be detected by demonstrating neutralizing and hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies. It is suggested to include passages of control cultures and of the virus harvest, after neutralization of the vaccine virus, for the control of virulent extraneous viruses. Alternatively to the last suggestion high amounts already inactivated virus pools could be inoculated into animals for the detection of antibodies against extraneous virus antigens. These controls are necessary until inactivated virus vaccines will be produced in safer substrates.