Preliminary characterization of a fast-growing strain of human hepatitis A virus.

A fast-growing strain of Human Hepatitis A (HHA) virus was selected by progressively shortening by the time between serial passages of the isolate in the simian cell line Frp/3. The virus so selected infected 90-95% of the cells in 7-10 days, and developed a strong cytopathic effect (CPE). The synthesis of HHA-specific antigens and the CPE were neutralized simultaneously by standard anti-HHA sera. This fast-growing strain has the characteristics of a picornavirus.