PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HEPAT ITIS-A CULTURAL STRAINS FROM HUMANS AND MONKEYS

Cultural strains of hepatitis A virus (HAV) have been isolated from sp ontaneously infected Macaca mulatta (HAV-MM), Papio hamadryas (HAV-PH) , African green monkeys Cercopithecus aethiops (HAV-CA), and patients (HAV-H). The strains replicate in continuous cells lines AGMK, 4647, V ero, and FRhk-4. AGMK and 4647 cells are the most permissive at 32 deg rees C. Virus propagation was not associated with the cytopathic effec t and could be detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), immune electron m icroscopy (IEM), and molecular hybridization method (MHM). The morphol ogical and antigenic properties of the above monkey and human strains did not differ in EIA and IEM with polyclonal antibodies and for one m ost conservative genome sites in the VPI domain. Cultural strains reta ined their pathogenicity for monkeys. HAV strains are proposed to be u sed as HAV antigen in immunological tests and for hepatitis A inductio n in monkeys.