The Mumps Virus Neurovirulence Safety Test in Rhesus Monkeys: A Comparison of Mumps Virus Strains

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 180; no. 2; pp. 521 - 525
• Main Authors: Rubin, Steven A., Snoy, Philip J., Wright, Kathryn E., Brown, Earl G., Reeve, Peter, Beeler, Judy A., Carbone, Kathryn M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.08.1999; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Aseptic meningitis; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - pathology; Brain - virology; Central nervous system; Central Nervous System Infections - pathology; Central Nervous System Infections - virology; Cercopithecus aethiops; Concise Communications; Disease Models, Animal; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Histology; Humans; Lesions; Macaca mulatta; Microbiology; Monkeys; Mumps; Mumps - pathology; Mumps - virology; Mumps Vaccine; Mumps vaccines; Mumps virus; Mumps virus - immunology; Mumps virus - pathogenicity; Species Specificity; Techniques used in virology; Vaccination; Vaccines, Attenuated - adverse effects; Vero Cells; Virology; Virulence; Viruses; Performance evaluation; Animal model; Toxicity; Central nervous system; Macaca mulatta; Vaccine; Paramyxoviridae; Virus; Pathogenicity; Paramyxovirinae; Mononegavirales; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Investigation method; Rubulavirus; Central nervous system disease; Primates; Simioidea; Attenuated strain; Mumps virus
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/314905

Wild type mumps viruses are highly neurotropic and a frequent cause of aseptic meningitis in unvaccinated humans. To test whether attenuated mumps viruses used in the manufacture of mumps vaccines have neurovirulent properties, a monkey neurovirulence safety test (MNVT) is performed. However, results with several mumps virus MNVTs have raised questions as to whether the test can reliably discriminate neurovirulent from nonneurovirulent mumps virus strains. Here, various mumps virus strains representing a wide range of neuropathogenicity were tested in a standardized MNVT. A trend of higher neurovirulence scores was observed in monkeys inoculated with wild type mumps virus versus vaccine strains, although differences were not statistically significant. Results indicated the need for further examination and refinement of the MNVT or for development of alternative MNVTs.