Porcine parvovirus as a contaminant in cell cultures and laboratory supplies

Although PPV has been described as a cellular contaminant, few recent studies about the presence of this virus in cell cultures, serum, and trypsin were found in the literature. The purpose of this study was to detect the presence of porcine parvovirus (PPV) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in cell cultures, serum, and trypsin used in official public laboratories of educational institutes and research centers. We tested samples of cell cultures (88), batches of trypsin (10), and fetal bovine serum (13) from different manufacturers. The PCR for beta-actin and GAPDH was used to evaluate the efficiency of DNA extraction from samples. The PPV DNA was detected in 52 of 88 (59.1%) cell culture samples. One in ten batches of trypsin tested for PPV DNA was positive. In no sample of fetal bovine serum, amplification of PPV DNA was observed. Positive samples were tested and confirmed by another analyst. In addition, all positive samples were sequenced. Our results indicate that regular PCR testing for PPV in cell cultures and their supplies is important.