Measles Vaccine shall be prepared from virus-bearing cell culture fluids. Only Master Seed Virus which has been established as pure, safe, and immunogenic shall be used for preparing the production seed virus for vaccine production. All serials of vaccine shall be prepared from the first through the fifth passage from the Master Seed Virus.

(a) The Master Seed Virus shall meet the applicable general requirements prescribed in §113.300. Each lot of Master Seed Virus shall meet the special requirements prescribed in this section.

(b) To detect virulent canine distemper virus, each of two canine distemper susceptible ferrets shall be injected with a sample of the Master Seed Virus equivalent to the amount of virus to be used in one dog dose and observed each day for 21 days. If undesirable reactions occur in either ferret, the lot of Master Seed Virus is unsatisfactory.

(c) Each lot of Master Seed Virus used for vaccine production shall be tested for immunogenicity. The selected virus dose from the lot of Master Seed Virus shall be established as follows:

(1) Twenty-five dogs, less than 12 weeks of age and free of measles antibody, shall be used as test animals (20 vaccinates and five controls). Blood samples shall be drawn from these animals and individual serum samples tested. The dogs shall be considered susceptible if the results are negative at a 1:2 final serum dilution in a varying serum-constant virus neutralization test with less than 500 ID50 of measles virus.

(2) A geometric mean titer of the dried vaccine produced from the highest passage of the Master Seed Virus shall be established before the immunogenicity test is conducted. Twenty dogs shall be vaccinated with a predetermined quantity of vaccine virus and the remaining five dogs held as unvaccinated controls. To confirm the dosage calculations, five replicate virus titrations shall be conducted on a sample of the vaccine virus dilution used.

(3) On the day of challenge, serum samples shall be obtained from each vaccinate and individually tested for antibody against canine distemper virus. For a valid test, each vaccinate shall be negative at a 1:4 final serum dilution in varying serum-constant virus neutralization test using less than 500 ID50 of canine distemper virus.

(4) At least 21 days postinoculation, the immunity of the vaccinates and controls shall be challenged by exposure to a uniform dose of aerosolized virulent canine distemper virus. All test dogs shall be observed daily for 21 days postchallenge.

(i) If at least 4 of the 5 controls do not die or show signs of distemper, including a temperature of 104.0 °F. or higher and at least 15 percent weight loss, the test is a No Test and may be repeated.

(ii) If at least 19 of the 20 vaccinates do not survive without showing a temperature of 104.0 °F. or higher and a weight loss exceeding 15 percent after day 8 postchallenge, the Master Seed Virus is unsatisfactory.

(5) When approved in advance by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a sequential test procedure may be used in lieu of the 20 dog requirement. A beta value of 0.05 and a tolerance level of 0.78 shall be required.

(6) An Outline of Production change shall be made before authority for use of a new lot of Master Seed Virus shall be granted by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

(d) Test requirements for release: Each serial and subserial shall meet the general requirements prescribed in §113.300 and the requirements in this paragraph. Final container samples of completed product shall be tested. Any serial or subserial found unsatisfactory by a prescribed test shall not be released.

(1) Safety tests. The dog safety test prescribed in §113.40 and the mouse safety test prescribed in §113.33(a) shall be conducted.

(2) Virus titer requirements. Final container samples of completed product shall be tested for virus titer using the titration method used in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. To be eligible for release, each serial and each subserial shall have a virus titer sufficiently greater than the titer of the vaccine virus used in the immunogenicity test prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section to assure that when tested at any time within the expiration period, each serial and subserial shall have a virus titer of 100.7 greater than that used in the immunogenicity test but not less than 102.5 ID50 per dose.

[40 FR 53001, Nov. 14, 1975, as amended at 43 FR 49529, Oct. 24, 1978; 48 FR 33472, July 22, 1983. Redesignated at 55 FR 35562, Aug. 31, 1990, as amended at 56 FR 66784, 66786, Dec. 26, 1991; 72 FR 72564, Dec. 21, 2007]