HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gould, E. A. Articles by Cammack, N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gould, E. A. Articles by Cammack, N. Agricola Articles by Gould, E. A. Articles by Cammack, N.

Use of a Monoclonal Antibody Specific for Wild-type Yellow Fever Virus to Identify a Wild-type Antigenic Variant in 17D Vaccine Pools

E. A. Gould

A. Buckley

P. A. Cane^>

S. Higgs

N. Cammack

Arbovirus Research Unit, 395 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL4 0XQ, U.K.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the Asibi wild-type strain of yellow fever (YF) virus were prepared and characterized. One of the MAbs (designated MAb 117) was shown, by cross-immunofluorescence tests with flaviviruses, to be specific for wild-type YF virus. This MAb was used in indirect immunofluorescence tests to identify wild-type antigenic variants in several different YF vaccine pools. Simultaneously, a vaccine-specific MAb prepared previously (MAb 864) was used to identify YF strain 17D vaccine type variants in the wild-type Asibi virus preparation. One variant, isolated by plaque purification from a 17D vaccine pool, possessed the wild-type epitope and was neurovirulent in infant mice whereas other variants, lacking the wild-type epitope but with vaccine-specific epitopes (identified by MAb 411), were avirulent in infant mice. Avirulent variants were able to infect mice and induce antibody. Virus-specific antigen was still detected in the brains of these mice 4 weeks after inoculation, suggesting that persistent infections were developing. These results demonstrate the antigenic heterogeneity of 17D vaccine preparations. They also point to the potential risk of selection of wild-type variants in YF vaccine preparations and re-emphasize the need for modernization of techniques and more effective control measures to be taken during the production of YF vaccine.

Keywords: yellow fever virus, MAbs, antigenic variation

Present address: Natural Environment Research Council, Institute of Virology, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, U.K.

^> Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.

Present address: NIBSC, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, U.K.

Received 12 December 1988; accepted 6 March 1989.