Table 1.
Main characteristics of the wild-type MV strain and the live-attenuated measles vaccines derived from the Edmonston virus.
| Strains | Main characteristics | Receptor used to enter cells | Who develops the strain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MV | Wild-type strain | CD150 - Nectin 4 | ||
| MV Edmonston isolate/MV Edmonston (wild-type) strain | MV strain isolated from a child with measles in primary human kidney cells.3 This strain has undergone 13 passages in cell culture. | CD150 – Nectin 4 | ||
| Edmonston seed A and B4 | passages of the Edmonston strain in:primary human kidney cells primary human amnion cells adapting to chick embryos and further passaging in chick embryo cells (CEF)4 | CD150 – Nectin 4 | ||
| Live-attenuated vaccines derived from the Edmonston virus | ||||
| Nucleotide changes compared to MV Edmonston isolate | ||||
| Edmonston B strain | Additional passages on CEF | 36 | CD46 – CD150 – Nectin 4.6 Unidentified receptor other than CD150 and CD46.7 | 1963 licensed for use in the USRubeovax®Adverse reactions: fever, rash, upper respiratory symptoms, occasionally convulsionsIt was abandoned in 1975.8 |
| Schwarz strain* | Additional passages on CE cells | 42(16 nucleotides differences compared to Edmonston B strain) | CD46 – CD150 – Nectin 4 | 1965(GSK Priorix®, vaccine for immunization against measles, mumps and rubella, “heat-stable” vaccine suitable for use in tropical countries, developing countries)Rouvax®, vaccine produced by manufacturers in Europe and Brazil, Sanofi-Pasteur, Institute Pasteur, France |
| Moraten strain* | Additional passages on CEF | 42*Schwarz and Moraten strains have identical nucleotide sequences | CD46 – CD150 – Nectin 4 | 1968Use as vaccine in the USA, Attenuvax®, M-M-R® II (measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine), Merck and Co |
| Zagreb strain [also referred to as Edmonston-Zagred strain (EZ)]9 | Additional passaging and plaque purification in human diploid cells WI-38.10 Produced either on CEF and on human diploid cells MRC-5.11,12 | 33 | CD46 – CD150 – Nectin 4.6 | The most commonly used measles vaccine in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) of the WHO. Developed by the Institute of Immunology in Zagreb |
| AIK-C strain13 | Passage in:human amnion cellssheep kidney cellsCEFAdapted to MRC-5 cells.13,14 | 42 | CD46 – CD150 – Nectin 4.6 | Strain used as measles vaccine in Japan.15 One of the candidate vaccine strain for EPI. |
| MVbv strain16 | Produced in MRC-5 cells. | 36 | CD46 – CD150 – Nectin 4 | Moraten® Berna vaccine, University of Zurich, Berna Biotech, Switzerland, can be applied parenterally or as aerosol vaccine |