In Japan, vaccination is established for the prevention of influenza. Our influenza virus vaccines contain 100 CCA per mililiter of each strain of A1, A2 and B type.
According to author's experience, chief reactions to vaccines are redness, swelling and heat at the site of injection, which give discomfort to the recipients. While systemic reactions, such as the increase in body temperature are not common.
To eliminate these reactions, we tried the purification of the viruses by the chromatographic method with brushite form of calcium phosphate, which was reported by Taverne et al in 1958. We repeated many experiments with 3 types of the viruses and obtained average recovery of 65.3%, ranging from 39.0% to 96.4%, in 7 experiments with A1 type, 79.4%, ranging from 55.6% to 89.3%, in 6 experiments with A2 type, and 73.8%, ranging from 52.7% to 87.5%, in 4 experiments with type B.
By rechromatography, the recovery rate was as high as over 90%.
Purified monovalent vaccines of type A and B viruses, each containing 300 CCA units, were examined for their safety and potency comparing with the non-purified, which were treated only once with Sharples centrifuge and resuspended in buffered physiological saline. In safety test conducted by the guinea pig method, we could obtain far better results from the purified ones.
Potency test was conducted with mice, injecting 5 fold graded dilutions of vaccines intraperitoneally. They were bled after 2 weeks, blood collected, sera separated and used for neutralization test in embryonated eggs. The results showed that purified vaccines had potency not inferior to non-purified ones.
The same vaccines were examined for reactions and antigenicity to human bodies. Four groups of recipients, each consisting of 20, were inoculated with one of four vaccines, purified or non purified vaccines of type A2 and B.
Reactions (redness, swelling, heat at injection site and increase in body temperature etc.) were examined. Systemic reactions were weak in all vaccines. Redness began to appear 4 hours after inoculation and faded after 3 to 4 days. In the purified vaccine groups of both types, redness were 8.1mm at 24 hours after inoculation and 16.0mm at 48 hours by type B purified vaccine, wheras those of the non-purified of the same type were 60.2mm and 74.6mm. By A2 type purified vaccine, they were 7.2mm and 6.0mm, but non-purified control showed 23.5mm and 12.9mm.
Swelling and heat at injection site were far less in the case of purified vaccines of both types compared to the non-purified.
Antigenicity of vaccines was estimated by examining increase of HAI titer 4 weeks after vaccination. Purified vaccines of both types of A2 and B gave lower antigenicity to some extent. But, further large scale experiments may be necessary to confirm whether the purified vaccines are truly inferior or not.
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