Method for growing or for removing circoviruses from biological material

Abstract

Methods for growing and neutralizing or removing circoviruses, in particular porcine circoviruses, which are obtained from an infected cell culture after one or more passages in cultures of porcine, bovine or human cells are described. When the porcine circoviruses grow, a cytopathogenic effect occurs in the cell culture. The circoviruses can be neutralized by treatment with an antibody-containing substrate such as porcine serum or human immunoglobulin or be removed by a pasteurization method. Also described are a vaccine and a diagnostic aid containing inactivated or avirulent circoviruses.

1 . A method for growing circoviruses, in particular porcine circoviruses (PCV), which comprises circoviruses obtained from an infected cell culture being, after one or more passages in cultures of porcine, bovine or human cells, developed in these cell cultures and a cytopathogenic effect occurring thereby.  
     
     
         2 . A method for neutralizing or removing circoviruses from biological material, which comprises treating it with an antibody-containing substrate such as porcine serum or human immunoglobulin or subjecting it to a pasteurization method.  
     
     
         3 . A method for detecting and quantifying antibodies directed against circoviruses by the ELISA method, which comprises circoviruses being incubated, after adsorption onto a support material, with the serum to be investigated and thus being bound to a primary antibody present in the serum, and subsequently a secondary, labeled antibody directed against the primary antibody being brought into contact therewith, and then the signal emitted by the bound, labeled antibody being measured.  
     
     
         4 . A method for detecting and quantifying the circovirus antigen by the ELISA method, which comprises an antibody against circoviruses which is bound to a support material being incubated with the serum to be investigated for circovirus antigen, and thus the antigen being bound, and the latter being brought into contact with a labeled antibody directed against the antigen and, after the unbound, labeled antibody has been washed out, the signal emitted by the bound, labeled antibody being measured.  
     
     
         5 . A vaccine, which comprises inactivated or avirulent circoviruses.  
     
     
         6 . A diagnostic aid which comprises inactivated or avirulent circoviruses.  
     
     
         7 . The use of circoviruses for investigating the capacity of a method for manufacturing pharmaceuticals of biological origin, of additives for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals or of a diagnostic aid to inactivate and/or remove circoviruses or related viruses.