Monkey kidney cell growth optimization and poliovirus propagation in microcarrier culture

Three monkey kidney cells lines Vero, LLC-MK2 and CV-1 were grown in microcarrier cultures. The carrier support was DEAE-Sephadex gel beads at low anion exchange capacity prepared according to a protocol developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The growth rate of the cells and the final cell density in microcarrier culture was dependent on the concentration of the beads in culture and on the size of the initial cell inoculum. The efficiency of the microcarrier culture system was compared to that of stationary and roller bottle cultures. The microcarrier culture system was applied to the propagation of polioviruses in the three established monkey kidney cell lines and the yields were compared with those obtained in roller bottle and stationary cultures. The yield of the three types of polioviruses in the various cell lines and culture systems was similar. The use of the microcarrier culture system for anchorage-dependent cells together with the use of continuously propagating cell lines offer great advantage for large-scale cultivation of poliovirus for the preparation of killed poliovirus vaccines.