Isolation of rubella virus from human lymphocytes after acute natural infection.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from three patients (a mother and her two children) with acute natural rubella were obtained five to nine days after the onset of rash. After mitogenic stimulation for three days in culture, the PBMCs were cocultivated with rabbit kidney cells (cell line RK13) at 35 C. Widespread cytopathologic effects on the monolayer were apparent by day 7 after cocultivation, and analysis of the supernatant revealed titers of 10(7) plaque-forming units of rubella virus (RV)/ml. Viral particles were also detected by electron microscopy, and the major RV polypeptides were shown to be present by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. One month later an identical study showed that neither RV polypeptides nor infectious virus was present in the PBMCs, a result which indicated that lymphocyte viremia had been controlled.