Replication of virulent and attenuated strains of yellow fever virus in human monocytes and macrophage-like cells (U937).

Virulent and attenuated strains of yellow fever virus were compared for their ability to grow in cultures of unstimulated leucocytes and monocytes derived from human peripheral blood, and of a macrophage-like cell line of human origin, U937. The extent of virus growth in leucocyte cultures varied depending on the strain of virus, multiplicity of infection, presence of diluted antibody in the culture medium but independently of the flavivirus immune status of the donor. The same pattern of differential growth was observed in the three types of cultures used. Although strain related variation in growth occurred within both virulent and attenuated strains, most of the attenuated strains produced higher virus yields than the virulent ones, suggesting that replication in this cell system is not related to the expression of virulence for the host. Replication in human monocytes as an in vitro marker of immunogenity for substrains of 17 D vaccine virus is discussed.