Detection of extraneous viable bacteria and fungi in live vaccines.
9 C.F.R. § 113.27
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01Unless otherwise specified by the Administrator or elsewhere exempted in this part, each serial and subserial of live vaccine and each lot of Master Seed Virus and Master Seed Bacteria shall be tested for extraneous viable bacteria and fungi as prescribed in this section. A Master Seed found unsatisfactory shall not be used in vaccine production and a serial found unsatisfactory shall not be released.
(a) Live viral vaccines. Each serial and subserial of live viral vaccine shall be tested for purity as prescribed in this paragraph. However, products of chicken embryo origin recommended for administration other than by parenteral injection may be tested as provided in paragraph (e) of this section.
(1) Soybean Casein Digest Medium shall be used.
(2) Ten final container samples from each serial and subserial shall be tested.
(3) Immediately prior to starting the test, frozen liquid vaccine shall be thawed, and desiccated vaccine shall be rehydrated as recommended on the label with accompanying diluent or with sterile purified water.
(4) To test for bacteria, place 0.2 ml of vaccine from each final container into a corresponding individual vessel containing at least 120 ml of Soybean Casein Digest Medium. Additional medium shall be used if the determination required in § 113.25(d) indicates the need for a greater dilution of the product. Incubation shall be at 30 °to 35 °C for 14 days.
(5) To test for fungi, place 0.2 ml of vaccine from each final container sample into a corresponding individual vessel containing at least 40 ml of Soybean Casein Digest Medium. Additional medium shall be used if the determination required in § 113.25(d) indicates the need for a greater dilution of the product. Incubation shall be at 20 °to 25 °C for 14 days.
(6) Examine the contents of all test vessels macroscopically for microbial growth at the end of the incubation period. If growth in a vessel cannot be reliably determined by visual examination, judgment shall be confirmed by subcultures, microscopic examination, or both.
(7) For each set of test vessels representing a serial or subserial tested according to these procedures, the following rules shall apply:
(i) If growth is found in 2 or 3 test vessels of the initial test, 1 retest to rule out faulty technique may be conducted using 20 unopened final container samples.
(ii) If no growth is found in 9 or 10 of the test vessels in the initial test, or 19 or 20 vessels in the retest, the serial or subserial meets the requirements of the test.
(iii) If growth is found in four or more test vessels in the initial test, or two or more in a retest, the serial or subserial is unsatisfactory.
(b) Live bacterial vaccines. Each serial or subserial of live bacterial vaccine shall be tested for purity as prescribed in this paragraph.
(1) Soybean Casein Digest Medium and Fluid Thioglycollate Medium shall be used.
(2) Ten final container samples from each serial and subserial shall be tested.
(3) Immediately prior to starting the test, frozen liquid vaccine shall be thawed, and desiccated vaccine shall be rehydrated as recommended on the label with accompanying diluent or with sterile purified water. Product recommended for mass vaccination shall be rehydrated at the rate of 30 ml sterile purified water per 1,000 doses.
(4) To test for extraneous bacteria, place 0.2 ml of vaccine from each final container into a corresponding individual vessel containing at least 40 ml of Fluid Thioglycollate Medium. Additional medium shall be used if the determination required in § 113.25(d) indicates the need for a greater dilution of the product. Incubation shall be at 30 °to 35 °C for 14 days.
(5) To test for extraneous fungi, place 0.2 ml of vaccine from each final container into a corresponding individual vessel containing at least 40 ml of Soybean Casein Digest Medium. Additional medium shall be used if the determination required in § 113.25(d) indicates the need for a greater dilution of the product. Incubation shall be at 20 °to 25 °C for 14 days.
(6) Examine the contents of all test vessels macroscopically for atypical microbial growth at the end of the incubation period. If growth of extraneous microorganisms cannot be reliably determined by visual examination, judgment shall be confirmed by subculturing, microscopic examination, or both.
(7) For each set of test vessels representing a serial or subserial tested according to these procedures, the following rules shall apply:
(i) If extraneous growth is found in 2 or 3 test vessels of the initial test, 1 retest to rule out faulty technique may be conducted using 20 unopened final container samples.
(ii) If no extraneous growth is found in 9 or 10 test vessels in the initial test, or 19 or 20 vessels in the retest, the serial or subserial meets the requirements of the test.
(iii) If extraneous growth is found in 4 or more test vessels in the initial test, or 2 or more in a retest, the serial or subserial is unsatisfactory.
(c) Master Seed Virus. Not less than 4 ml of each lot of Master Seed Virus shall be tested. Frozen liquid Master Seed Virus shall be thawed, and desiccated Master Seed Virus shall be rehydrated with Soybean Casein Digest Medium immediately prior to starting the test.
(1) To test for bacteria, place 0.2 ml of the sample of Master Seed Virus into 10 individual vessels each containing at least 120 ml of Soybean Casein Digest Medium. Incubation shall be at 30 °to 35 °C for 14 days.
(2) To test for fungi, place 0.2 ml of the sample of Master Seed Virus into 10 individual vessels each containing at least 40 ml of Soybean Casein Digest Medium. Incubation shall be at 20 °to 25 °C for 14 days.
(3) Examine the contents of all test vessels macroscopically for microbial growth at the end of the incubation period. If growth in a vessel cannot be reliably determined by visual examination, judgment shall be confirmed by subcultures, microscopic examination, or both.
(4) For each set of test vessels representing a lot of Master Seed Virus tested according to these procedures, the following rules shall apply:
(i) If growth is found in any test vessel of the initial test, one retest to rule out faulty technique may be conducted using a new sample of Master Seed Virus.
(ii) If growth is found in any test vessel of the final test, the lot of Master Seed Virus is unsatisfactory.
(d) Master Seed Bacteria. Not less than 4 ml of each lot of Master Seed Bacteria shall be tested. Frozen liquid Master Seed Bacteria shall be thawed, and desiccated Master Seed Bacteria shall be rehydrated with sterile purified water immediately prior to starting the test.
(1) To test for extraneous bacteria, place 0.2 ml of the sample of Master Seed Bacteria into 10 individual vessels each containing at least 40 ml of Fluid Thioglycollate Medium. Incubation shall be at 30 °to 35 °C for 14 days.
(2) To test for extraneous fungi, place 0.2 ml of the sample of Master Seed Bacteria into 10 individual vessels each containing at least 40 ml of Soybean Casein Digest Medium. Incubation shall be at 20 °to 25 °C for 14 days.
(3) Examine the contents of all test vessels macroscopically for atypical microbial growth at the end of the incubation period. If growth of extraneous microorganisms cannot be reliably determined by visual examination, judgment shall be confirmed by subcultures, microscopic examination, or both.
(4) For each set of test vessels representing a lot of Master Seed Bacteria tested according to these procedures, the following rules shall apply:
(i) If extraneous growth is found in any test vessel of the initial test, one retest to rule out faulty technique may be conducted using a new sample of Master Seed Bacteria.
(ii) If extraneous growth is found in any test vessel of the final test, the lot of Master Seed Bacteria is unsatisfactory.
(e) Live viral vaccines of chicken embryo origin recommended for administration other than by parenteral injection, which were not tested or have not been found free of bacteria and fungi by the procedures prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section, may be tested according to the procedures prescribed in this paragraph.
(1) Brain Heart Infusion Agar shall be used with 500 Kinetic (Kersey) units of penicillinase per ml of medium added just prior to pouring the plates.
(2) Ten final containers from each serial and each subserial shall be tested.
(3) Immediately prior to starting the test, frozen liquid vaccine shall be thawed, and lyophilized vaccine shall be rehydrated to the quantity recommended on the label using the accompanying sterile diluent or sterile purified water. Product recommended for mass vaccination shall be rehydrated at the rate of 30 ml sterile purified water per 1,000 doses.
(4) From each container sample, each of 2 plates shall be inoculated with vaccine equal to 10 doses if the vaccine is recommended for poultry or 1 dose if the vaccine is recommended for other animals. Twenty ml of medium shall be added to each plate. One plate shall be incubated at 30 °to 35 °for 7 days and the other plate shall be incubated at 20 °to 25 °C for 14 days.
(5) Colony counts shall be made for each plate at the end of the incubation period. An average colony count for the 10 samples representing the serial or subserial shall be made for each incubation condition.
(6) For each set of test vessels representing a serial or subserial tested according to these procedures, the following rules shall apply:
(i) If the average count at either incubation condition exceeds 1 colony per dose for vaccines recommended for poultry, or 10 colonies per dose for vaccines recommended for other animals in the initial test, 1 retest to rule out faulty technique may be conducted using 20 unopened final containers.
(ii) If the average count at either incubation condition of the final test for a serial or subserial exceeds 1 colony per dose for vaccines recommended for poultry, or 10 colonies per dose for vaccines recommended for other animals, the serial or subserial is unsatisfactory.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-9.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026