Monte Carlo simulation of the Spearman-Kaerber TCID50.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the biological sciences the TCID50 (median tissue culture infective dose) assay is often used to determine the strength of a virus.

Methods

When the so-called Spearman-Kaerber calculation is used, the ratio between the pfu (the number of plaque forming units, the effective number of virus particles) and the TCID50, theoretically approaches a simple function of Eulers constant. Further, the standard deviation of the logarithm of the TCID50 approaches a simple function of the dilution factor and the number of wells used for determining the ratios in the assay. However, these theoretical calculations assume that the dilutions of the assay are independent, and in practice this is not completely correct. The assay was simulated using Monte Carlo techniques.

Resul

SUBMITTER: Wulff NH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3331834 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature