Dengue virus replication in a polyploid mosquito cell culture grown in serum-free medium

A subline of a polyploid cell line (TRA-284) derived from a nonbiting mosquito, Toxorhynchites amboinensis, was adapted to a serum-free medium. The sensitivity of the subline (TRA-284-SF) to all serotypes of adapted dengue viruses was generally comparable to that of Aedes albopictus (C6/36), and DEN 3 viruses replicated to higher titers in TRA-28F-SF cells than in C6/36 cells. The subline was found to be useful for isolation of dengue viruses from human serum, since isolation rates were higher in TRA-284-SF cells than in C6/36 cells. The advantages of using a serum-free medium and mosquito cells for virus isolation are discussed.