THERE is need of a safe effective inactivated rubella virus vaccine for women in the child-bearing age, without regard to pregnancy. Even though an attenuated live virus vaccine becomes available, its use in the adult woman, who might unknowingly be pregnant, will be restricted because of the teratogenicity associated with wild virus. The definitive experiments required to prove the absolute safety of the attenuated virus for pregnant women pose moral and ethical problems which are difficult to resolve.
Work directed toward the development of an inactivated vaccine has been underway several years. It is recognized that the successful development of such a vaccine depends upon: (1) production of immunologically active concentrations of virus in a potentially acceptable cell culture system, and (2) demonstration that, after complete inactivation, this material is antigenic and protective for man.
Virus Propagation
The preparation of a potent inactivated vaccine requires high titered virus, usually in