Chlamydia Psittaci Vaccine (Feline Pneumonitis), Live Chlamydia, shall be prepared from chlamydia-bearing cell culture fluids or embryonated chicken eggs. Only Master Seed which has been established as pure, safe, and immunogenic shall be used for vaccine production. All serials of vaccine shall be prepared from the first through the fifth passage from the Master Seed.

(a) The Master Seed shall meet the applicable requirements prescribed in §113.300 and the requirements in this section. Master Seed propagated in chicken embryos shall be tested for pathogens by the chicken embryo test prescribed in §113.37. If found unsatisfactory by any prescribed test, the Master Seed shall not be used.

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

(1) Thirty feline pneumonitis susceptible cats shall be used as test animals (20 vaccinates and 10 controls). Blood samples shall be drawn and individual serum samples tested. The cats shall be considered suitable for use if all serums are negative for pneumonitis antibody in a complement fixation test or other test of equal sensitivity.

(2) A geometric mean titer of the dried vaccine produced from the highest passage of the Master Seed shall be established before the immunogenicity test is conducted. The 20 cats used as vaccinates shall be administered a predetermined quantity of vaccine by the method to be recommended on the label and the remaining 10 cats shall be held as controls. To confirm the dosage calculations, five replicate titrations shall be conducted on a sample of the vaccine dilution used. If two doses are used, five replicate confirming titrations shall be conducted on each dose.

(3) Fourteen or more days after the final dose of vaccine, the vaccinates and controls shall each be challenged intranasally with a minimum of 10,000 yolk sac LD50 of virulent feline pneumonitis furnished or approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and observed each day for 28 days postchallenge. The rectal temperature of each animal shall be taken and the presence or absence of clinical signs noted and recorded each day.

(i) If less than 8 of 10 controls show clinical signs of feline pneumonitis infection other than fever, the test is a No Test and may be repeated.

(ii) If a significant difference in clinical signs other than fever or chlamydia shedding cannot be demonstrated between vaccinates and controls using a scoring system approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Master Seed is unsatisfactory.

(4) An Outline of Production change must be made before authority for use of a new lot of Master Seed is granted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

(c) Test requirements for release: Except for §113.300(a)(3)(ii), each serial and subserial shall meet the requirements prescribed in §113.300 and 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) The test for pathogens prescribed in §113.37 shall be conducted on each serial or one subserial of avian origin vaccine.

(2) Chlamydia titer requirements. Final container samples of completed product shall be tested for chlamydia titer using the titration method used in paragraph (b)(2) of this section. To be eligible for release, each serial and each subserial shall have a titer sufficiently greater than the titer of vaccine used in the immunogenicity test prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section to assure that when tested at any time within the expiration period, each serial and subserial shall have a titer 0.7 greater than that used in such immunogenicity test but not less than 2.5 ID50 per dose.

[55 FR 35561, Aug. 31, 1990, as amended at 56 FR 66786, Dec. 26, 1991; 72 FR 72564, Dec. 21, 2007]