[Cultural influenza vaccines].

Recent achievements in development of influenza vaccines using long-term cell cultures MDSK or Vero are reviewed. Cell cultures were grown in bioreactors (fermenters) filled with microcarriers using serum-free culture media. Inactivated cultural influenza vaccines were clinically tested in many countries. The results of these trials showed that cultural influenza vaccines are as safe and immunogenic as conventional vaccines prepared using chicken embryos. It is emphasized that cultural influenza vaccines prepared using serum-free culture media have a number of advantages over embryonic influenza vaccines: standard preparation technology, intactness of all hemagglutinin antigen domains, absence of protein allergens and possible viral contamination inherent in chicken embryos and blood serum, and possibility of easy intensification of vaccine production in case of influenza pandemic. Taking into consideration these advantages, it may be suggested that cultural influenza vaccines will soon be widely used in medical practice.