Influence of residual moisture and sealing atmosphere on viability of two freeze-dried viral vaccines.

This study demonstrated the complexity of the factors leading to changes in the infectivity titers of freeze-dried canine distemper and poultry infectious bronchitis viral vaccines. The change in moisture content during the storage period was an additional parameter which may influence the infectivity titer. The results emphasized the difficulty of predetermining variations in infectivity titers from the initial residual moisture. The analysis of the variations in infectivity titers during the storage of two vaccines led to the formulation of a hypothesis of the presence of two components of different thermostability. Moreover, the temporary increase in the infectivity titer of infectious bronchitis vaccine stored progressively dissociating during storage concurrent with a progressive inactivation of infectious particles.

Freeze-drying of brucella vaccine strain B 19.

The B 19 brucellosis strain has been widely used in the production of live vaccine against Bovine Brucellosis in the field for the last 30 years. Many attempts have been made to stabilize this vaccine but it remains a problem for laboratories which prepare this vaccine. In order to improve our knowledge of the influence of residual moisture and the nature of the conditioning atomosphere, several batches of vaccine were prepared in the same freeze-drying apparatus, either with a different atmosphere, or with a different level of residual moisture. After freeze-drying, the percentage of live bacteria and the stability of the vaccine at 37 degrees and 4 degrees C were investigated. It is thus possible to determine under specific conditions the level of residual moisture which gives: a) the best stability and b) the correct percentage of live bacteria after freeze-drying. Furthermore, by using nitrogen, argon, or a vacuum in the freeze-drying procedure, it was possible to select the most favourable atmosphere for conditioning the vaccine.