NON-A, NON-B HEPATITIS HEPATOCYTE CELL CULTURE

摘要

A Non-A, Non-B hepatitis (NANBH) viral in vitro cell culture is disclosed. Primary hepatocytes were isolated and cultured from a chimpanzee during the acute phase of an experimental NANBH virus infection. The differentiated hepatocyte cell culture was maintained in a serum-free medium comprising Williams medium E, a hepatocyte proliferogen, transferrin, serum albumin, corticosteroide prolactin, thyrotropin-releasing factor, cholera toxin and ethanolamine. The cultured hepatocytes tested positive for the expression of a NANBH-associated cytoplasmic antigen. The presence of this cytoplasmic marker suggested persistence of the infection in vitro. The production of infectious virus in vitro was confirmed by inoculating a chimpanzee with NANBH virus-infected tissue culture and later documenting the NANBH development in the chimpanzee.