Large-scale purification of Japanese encephalitis virus from infected mouse brain for preparation of vaccine

Abstract

Large volumes of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus propagated in mouse brain can be easily purified by polyethylene glycol 6,000. By using the polyethylene glycol precipitation method, mouse hemoglobin was almost all separated from the viral suspension, and consequently the total amount of nonviral protein in the viral suspension decreased. The recovery of infectivity was about 100%. The removal of residual polyethylene glycol in the viral suspension was possible without difficulty by means of ethanol precipitation. This method is recommended as an initial step in large-scale purification of Japanese encephalitis virus propagated in mouse brain because it is simple, rapid, and inexpensive.