Effect of suspending media on freeze-drying and preservation of vaccinia virus.

Unpurified and purified smallpox vaccines were prepared from calf dermal pulp, or chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of hen eggs infected with vaccinia virus, and freeze-dried. The protective effect of various suspending media was investigated both in the course of the freeze-drying and in the period of subsequent storage of the dried product at different temperatures, including 100 degrees C.Single media consisting of either sodium glutamate or peptone were effective in the preservation of both unpurified and purified vaccines prepared from calf dermal pulp or CAM. It was shown that there was an optimal concentration of sodium glutamate for the preservation of the vaccine preparations, especially of the purified vaccine.Combined media, consisting of soluble starch, polyvinylpyrrolidone or sodium carboxymethyl cellulose with sodium glutamate, were effective with the purified vaccine when the concentration of sodium glutamate exceeded the optimum necessary for preservation.