Sensitivity of NCI-H292 human lung mucoepidermoid cells for respiratory and other human viruses.

NCI-H292 mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells from human lungs were shown in an earlier report to be a fully adequate substitute for primary rhesus monkey kidney (MK) cells for the isolation and propagation of the human paramyxoviruses. Although sensitivity for ortho- and paramyxoviruses was the principal reason for using MK cells, the cells were also sensitive to many other viruses, which constituted another important value of MK cells. That MK cells supported the initial isolation and growth of so many respiratory viruses made it a mandatory cell type for any clinical laboratory. We therefore felt it was imperative to evaluate the virus spectrum of NCI-H292 cells, which are being used as a substitute for MK cells in many laboratories. In the present report, we show that NCI-H292 cells are sensitive for vaccinia virus, herpes simplex virus, adenoviruses, BK polyomavirus, reoviruses, measles virus, respiratory syncytial virus, some strains of influenza virus type A, most enteroviruses, and rhinoviruses, in addition to the parainfluenza and mumps viruses originally reported. Furthermore, these viruses replicate in NCI-H292 cells to the same virus and antigen titers and at the same speed of replication as they do in their usually preferred cells. The NCI-H292 cells are therefore an excellent substitute for MK cells in terms of laboratory safety, ease of availability, paramyxovirus isolation, and broad virus spectrum but cannot substitute for MK cells for the isolation of influenza viruses.