Further studies on the growth of rubella virus in human embryonic organ cultures: preliminary observations on interferon production in these cultures.

Organ cultures prepared from 15 different organs obtained from 43 fetuses were consistently found to support the growth of rubella virus, irrespective of the gestational age of the fetus or the strain of rubella virus inoculated. Although rubella virus replicated in fetal lenses, adult lenses did not support the growth of rubella virus. Organs obtained from four fetuses between 8 and 17 weeks gestational age produced similar titres of an inhibitor which had the characteristics of interferon. The use of Trowell T8 medium and incubation in a mixture of 5% CO(2) in oxygen provided the most suitable conditions for the maintenance of most organ cultures. Under these circumstances it was possible to obtain adequate histological preparations from these organs, but light microscopy studies revealed no significant differences in sections of rubella inoculated and control organ cultures.