OPTIMIZATION OF VACCINE PRODUCTION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH

Vaccines on the basis of mammalian cell cultures are of major importan ce for human and animal health. Therefore efforts are undertaken for t he improved production of more effective vaccines. Of course, the main purpose of all these approaches is to save lives and improve the qual ity of life for human beings. However, there is also some remarkable e ffort in the food industry and the associated animal production, espec ially in the case of some Flaviviridal viruses (BVD), where >80% of al l cattle herds are found to be infected. These viruses can cause treme ndous economic losses of calfs and embryos (Ames, 1990). Because of th ese facts, there is a continuous endeavour for improving the manufactu ring of therapeutics or preventing agents such as vaccines for the tre atment of cattle. The competitive economic situation and the specific market demands still require effective and high yield production metho ds, especially in the case of one of the most widespread viral disease s in cattle like BVD (Ames, 1990).We have succeeded in establishing an improved method for the production of BVD on the basis of a continuou s fermentation mode, that consist of modification of the corresponding process and media improvements.