TITLE:
Optimization and Scaling-Up of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Vaccine Production Using Roller Bottle Platform
AUTHORS:
Omer Algezoli, Tagelden Nour, Muzdalifa Alamin, Mohamed Abdalla
KEYWORDS:
Large-Scale Production, Pest des Petits Ruminants, Roller Bottle Technology, Vaccination, Vero Cell
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.13 No.1,
January
27,
2025
ABSTRACT: Peste des Petits ruminants (PPR) is considered as one of the major constraints to the productivity of small ruminants in Sudan. Presently, control measures for PPR are primarily reliant on vaccination using an attenuated PPR strain Nigeria 75/1 that has been produced in monolayers of Vero cells grown in static flasks. This study investigates the potential for scaling up PPR vaccine production using roller bottle technology, a more advanced method. A live, homologous vaccine against PPR in sheep and goats was successfully produced on a large scale in roller culture bottles, with DMEM supplemented with ten percent fetal bovine serum serving as the growth medium. The cells were infected with a multiplicity of infection of 0.01, and the vaccine was harvested when the cytopathic effect reached 80%. The vaccine was then freeze-dried to preserve its stability. A series of tests were conducted to ensure the safety and quality of the vaccine. Using PCR, the identity of vaccine was confirmed. It was found to be safe in both single and 100-times dose inoculations in sheep, with the produced batches showing a high titre of 6.4 ± 0.11 log10 TCID50/ml. All batches met the criteria of sterility, passing tests for bacteria, fungi, and mycoplasma. Furthermore, the vaccine proved effective in small ruminants, with antibodies persisting for over a year post-vaccination. The residual moisture content remained below 2.5%, and the vaccine successfully passed vacuum testing. Stability tests indicated that the vaccine has a shelf-life of at least one year when stored at temperatures of 2˚C - 8˚C and −20˚C. These results demonstrate the potential for applying roller bottle culture technology to PPR vaccine production, significantly streamlining the existing process and enhancing its efficiency. Further research is warranted to address the economic analyses of adopting roller bottle technology with existing PPR control program.