Concentration and purification of rubella virus hemagglutinin by hollow fiber ultrafiltration and sucrose density centrifugation.

Large volumes of rubella virus were produced in Vero cell monolayers which were grown in the Corbeil-Bellco TM system. Infectious tissue culture fluids were concentrated at least 600 times in less than 4h by ultrafiltration on hollow fibers with a molecular weight cutoff of 100 000. Recovery of the hemagglutinating activity was 75%. Rubella virus was purified by three successive sucrose density gradient centrifugations using a combination and discontinuous and linear gradients. Specific activity was increased 1000-fold.