We performed serologic studies which identified influenza A/Johannesburg/82/96 as a candidate for new vaccines; the information was used by the USPHS and WHO to recommend changing to A/Johannesburg/82/96 for 1997-1998. We produced reference materials for vaccine use including 3 high growth reassortant viruses (designated RESVIR 10, RESVIR 11, and RESVIR 12) using A/Beijing/262/95 (H1N1), A/South Africa/1147/96 (H3N2), and A/Johannesburg/82/96 (H1N1); and reference antigens and antisera needed to measure the hemagglutinin content of vaccines (currently 75 million dose equivalents in the US). We established a system to produce high growth influenza B reassortants for the two lineages now circulating in human populations. Using reverse genetics techniques, we have produced transfectant viruses containing the matrix gene of A/Puerto Rico/8/34. Since the transfectant viruses are produced in low frequency compared to the wild-type helper virus, we are exploring techniques to make selection and recovery of the transfectant virus a more robust process. We performed serologic studies which identified influenza A/Johannesburg/82/96 as a candidate for new vaccines; the information was used by the USPHS and WHO to recommend changing to A/Johannesburg/82/96 for 1997-1998. We produced reference materials for vaccine use including 3 high growth reassortant viruses (designated RESVIR 10, RESVIR 11, and RESVIR 12) using A/Beijing/262/95 (H1N1), A/South Africa/1147/96 (H3N2), and A/Johannesburg/82/96 (H1N1); and reference antigens and antisera needed to measure the hemagglutinin content of vaccines (currently 75 million dose equivalents in the US). We established a system to produce high growth influenza B reassortants for the two lineages now circulating in human populations. Using reverse genetics techniques, we have produced transfectant viruses containing the matrix gene of A/Puerto Rico/8/34. Since the transfectant viruses are produced in low frequency compared to the wild-type helper virus, we are exploring techniques to make selection and recovery of the transfectant virus a more robust process.
