Control on the absence of DEAE-polysaccharides in DEAE-sephadex purified poliovirus suspensions by pyrolysis mass spectrometry.

Poliovirus suspensions produced in microcarrier culture of primary monkey kidney cells and purified by column chromatography on DEAE-sephadex have been tested for the presence of DEAE-polysaccharides (in essence DEAE-dextran) by pyrolysis mass spectrometry. Semi-quantitative evaluation of the pyrolysis mass spectra indicates that the concentration of DEAE-dextran in the purified poliovirus concentrates is below 20 ppm i.e. the lower detection level of the method. As the final vaccines contain a 1:50 to 1:100 dilution of the tested virus suspension, the DEAE-polysaccharide concentration in the vaccine will be below 1 ppm at least. Pyrolysis mass spectrometry appeared to be a vary suitable method for control on the absence of this component.