Rate of Propagation of Japanese B Encephalitis Virus in Hamster Kidney Cell Cultures. ∗

Summary

Following inoculation of HKC cultures with JBE virus, virus content increases by geometric increment after a brief latent period and yields a maximum titer of virus usually of the order of 10⁷ infective units per 0.1 ml of tissue culture fluid 72 to 96 hours following inoculation. Infectivity of the tissue culture fluids then decreases during the next several days as all of the cells of the monolayer are destroyed by the cytopathogenic activity of the virus. Further studies during the 69th to 75th hours following inoculation with JBE virus showed that the infected HKC monolayer is capable of releasing infective virus to a titer of the order of 10^6.5 to 10^6.8 per 0.1 ml at hourly intervals. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings for further studies have been discussed.