The development of an improved experimental yellow fever vaccine

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The development of an experimental 17D yellow fever virus vaccine prepared from decapitated embryos is described. Growth studies revealed that yields from decapitated embryos were no less than from whole embryos. However, vaccines prepared from extracts of decapitated embryos were much less thermally stable than vaccines prepared from whole embryos. Thermal stability was achieved by suspending the decapitated embryos in a simple protein-free stabilizer. Vaccines prepared from decapitated embryos contained 30–50% less lipid than others prepared from whole embryos. Vaccines prepared from embryo homogenates which had been centrifuged at 10 000 g for 30 min before freeze-drying, were much less turbid after reconstitution than when the step was omitted.