A Comparative Study Of Standard Methods And Organ Culture For The Isolation Of Respiratory Viruses

Abstract

THE introduction of organ cultures of human ciliated epithelium has increased the proportion of cases of acute respiratory infection in which a virological diagnosis can be made (Higgins, 1966; Tyrrell and Bynoe, 1966). The improved isolation rates resulting from the use of this technique were, however, mainly due to an increased efficiency in the isolation of rhinoviruses.

Further Observations on the Use of Organ Cultures in the Study of Acute Respiratorytract Infections

“…This study confirms the findings of earlier workers (Higgins, 1966; Tyrrell and Bynoe, 1966;Higgins, Ellis and Woolley, 1969;Higgins et al, 1970) that rhinoviruses account for most of the additional viruses that can be isolated from patients with acute respiratory-tract infections by the use of organ cultures. All but a few of these can be detected in the initial organ-culture fluids.…”

“…The introduction of organ cultures of human embryonic trachea and nose (Tyrrell and Bynoe, 1965;Hoorn, 1966) and the discovery of the human respiratory coronaviruses (Tyrrell and Bynoe ; Hamre and Procknow, 1966) renewed hope that the virological investigation of such infections would be more profitable and the conclusions drawn from epidemiological studies less speculative.A comparison of the standard tissue-culture methods with organ cultures for the isolation of viruses from patients with acute respiratory infections (Higgins, Ellis and Woolley, 1969) showed that, although some viruses undetected by the standard methods could be isolated in organ cultures, both systems were necessary for maximum efficiency. Furthermore, this and other studies in which organ cultures were used (Tyrrell and Bynoe, 1966;Higgins, 1966;McIntosh et al, 1967;Higgins et al, 1970; Roome, Dickinson and Caul, 1971 ;Higgins and Ellis, 1972) were limited by the scarcity of human embryonic material and the laborious nature of the technique.…”

“…A comparison of the standard tissue-culture methods with organ cultures for the isolation of viruses from patients with acute respiratory infections (Higgins, Ellis and Woolley, 1969) showed that, although some viruses undetected by the standard methods could be isolated in organ cultures, both systems were necessary for maximum efficiency. Furthermore, this and other studies in which organ cultures were used (Tyrrell and Bynoe, 1966;Higgins, 1966;McIntosh et al, 1967;Higgins et al, 1970; Roome, Dickinson and Caul, 1971 ;Higgins and Ellis, 1972) were limited by the scarcity of human embryonic material and the laborious nature of the technique.…”

Rhinovirus infections

“…This proved to be so and together with the failure to examine 730 specimens (11-1 %) in either cell system could account, in part, for the relatively small number of isolations made (Higgins, 1966a). More recently it has been shown that many rhinoviruses will only grow in tissue culture after passage in organ culture of human embryonic ciliated respiratory epithelium (Tyrrell & Bynoe, 1966;Higgins, Ellis & Woolley, 1969) and the number of isolations reported in this study must be an underestimate of the rhinovirus infections sampled. Some idea of this deficiency can be judged by comparing the isolation rate in the general practice study (4 4 %) with the recently reported finding that 15 % of similar specimens, which were negative on examination in tissue culture, yielded viruses after passage in organ cultures; 80 % of these were rhinoviruses (Higgins & Ellis, 1973).…”

Comparison between conventional systems and a newer system of combined cultures for isolation of influenza viruses

“…These observations led to the application of organ culture techniques to the diagnostic virology of respiratory and other virus infections (2,3,4).…”