MDCK cell cultures supplemented with high concentrations of trypsin exhibit remarkable susceptibility to influenza C virus.

Multiplication of influenza C virus in MDCK cell cultures increased with increasing concentrations of trypsin up to 160 micrograms/ml, whereas maximum growth of influenza A virus in the same culture was observed at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml. In the presence of 160 micrograms of trypsin per ml MDCK cells showed the same or even higher susceptibility to various strains of influenza C virus compared with HMV-II cells, a human melanoma cell line that has been reported to have high susceptibility to the virus. Complete cleavage of the HE precursor protein of MDCK-grown influenza C virus into HE1 and HE2 subunits was achieved by trypsin at a concentration of 160 micrograms/ml, whereas only partial cleavage was observed at 10 micrograms/ml. The present results thus demonstrate that MDCK cell cultures supplemented with trypsin at a concentration of 160 micrograms/ml become highly susceptible to influenza C virus.