What Is Coming Through That Needle?

The Problem of Pathogenic Vaccine Contamination

Benjamin McRearden

In recent times mankind is experiencing a situation never previously encountered, that being
the threat of release of pathogens intended to kill or disable large numbers of people. That danger has
prompted certain health agencies to prepare for possible mass vaccination of the populace. The
purpose of this report is to examine the existing scientific evidence of pathogenic contaminants in
vaccines. This summary, while making no claim of being a complete review of the subject, will point
out sufficient examples and illustrations of contamination with bacteria, viruses, and their
components, so as to enable the reader to make a more informed decision regarding accepting a
vaccination (or forcing others to receive one). It is presented in a format intended for the public, their
physicians, and their agency or governmental representatives, and may be freely copied in its entirety.

If you as an individual are too busy to read this brief summary in one sitting, please be aware
there is ample evidence in the scientific literature that serious viruses, bacteria; or components and
toxins therefrom; as well as foreign animal or cancer-related proteins and DNA are finding their way
into the commercial vaccines intended for humans, pets, and agricultural animals. If you are
interested in the short and long-term health of yourself and those you care about, or serve as a public
servant or medic al advisor, you do owe it to yourself to be informed.

In the production of viral vaccines on a commercial scale, the virus of concern must be
reproduced in large quantities. Viruses cannot survive or reproduce without being introduced into
cells that nourish them, which enables the viral reproductive activity. In that sense all viruses can be
considered parasitic on other cells. Living cell types commonly used to reproduce viruses in the lab
include monkey kidney cells, chicken embryos, as well as other animal and human cells. These cells
must also be nourished with food, and are most often fed with a nutrient mix containing in large part,
bovine (cow) calf serum (usually, serum extracted from fetal calf blood). This product can carry
many types of bovine blood-borne viruses, and is one of the primary sources of vaccine contaminants.
A journal article states, “a potential risk associated with the production and use of biological products
is viral contamination. This contamination may be present in the source material, e.g. human blood,
human or animal tissues, cell banks, or introduced in the manufacturing process through the use of
animal sera...”(1)

Bovine viruses

The viruses and other agents that can contaminate bovine calf serum are numerous. One of the
most prominent is a pestivirus called bovine viral diarrhea virus (2). More specifically, we see in
several scientific journal sources these types of statements: “contamination of a vaccine as a
consequence of infection of fetal calf serum”(3); “many batches of commercially available serum are
contaminated with viruses such as BVD” [bovine viral diarrhea] (4); “virus was isolated from 332 of
1,608 (20.6%) lots of raw fetal calf serum obtained specifically for the Center and 93 of 190 (49%)
lots of commercially available fetal calf serum (5); “agents most frequently detected in CCL's
[continuous cell lines] have been bovine viral diarrhea virus and mycoplasma. Our laboratory has
consistently found that the source of bovine viral diarrhea contamination of CCLs has been the use of
contaminated fetal bovine cell culture enrichment serum”(6); and finally, “In conclusion, most
commercially available bovine sera are contaminated with BVDV and, although there is no
evidence that the virus is infectious, bovine sera should be screened for this virus…for the
development or production of vaccine.”(7)
 Can this virus cause infection or disease in humans? New evidence shows this is possible, as
researchers have found a new strain that was isolated from human cells, and it is very closely related
to the bovine strains (8). One study finds that an alarming 75% of all laboratory cell lines examined
were contaminated with pestivirus strains; of these, all of the bovine cell lines were contaminated
with one of three possible BVDV strains; cell lines from other animal sources including primates,
sometimes contained one of these BVDV strains (9).

There is now heightened concern that this virus and others can cross species lines, creating new
strains as they adapt to their new hosts, and this would include passage of the virus to and from
humans. Whether the human strain of BVDV causes overt illness is uncertain, because physicians
may be uninformed and not even be looking for this virus. It may be useful however, to compare the
infection patterns in cattle. They can be persistently infected at a low level for their entire life with a
non-pathogenic strain of the virus. Under these conditions, they consistently create and shed virus
into the surrounding environment, which then infects other animals. The virus can nonetheless
become lethal to the animal if it mutates, with the new form also causing “visible cell damage and
death” in cultured conditions (10). The animal succumbs to gradual or acute deterioration of the
gastrointestinal mucous lining, which produces diarrhea and its eventual demise. However, mutated
virus is not always necessary to provoke debilitating illness and death, and ordinary virus can be
isolated from the cow’s pancreas, adrenal glands, and pituitary glands (11); the virus has also been
documented as causing serious pulmonary illness (12). A study describes an outbreak of disease
among goats due to a vaccine contaminated with a bovine pestivirus; oddly, these animals
experienced reproductive failure and lesions to the central nervous system (13). So, can these disease
symptoms in varied organs and tissues also occur in humans when they carry this virus short or long-
term?

A cursory examination of the literature indicates this may be occurring. One revealing study
tells us “faeces from children under 2 years old who had gastroenteritis that could not be attributed to
recognised enteric pathogens were examined…for Pestivirus antigens. Such antigens were detected in
30 of 128 episodes of gastroenteritis…The diarrhoeal disease in children excreting Pestivirus antigens
resembled that in other children except that it was more commonly associated with signs and
symptoms of respiratory inflammation.”(14) There are also concerns regarding a pattern of pestivirus
infection in infacts born with microcephaly, a condition wherein the head or cranial capacity is
unusually small (15, 16).

Scientists from the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory describe the situation quite
clearly, and give an indication of the seriousness of the problem: “The high frequency of virus and
antibody detection in individual animal or small pool samples suggests that any large pool of
unscreened sera will be contaminated. Infection of cell cultures with BVDV can lead to interference
with the growth of other viruses. Vaccine produced on contaminated cells may in turn be
contaminated, leading to seroconversion or disease in the vaccine. The safety, purity, and efficacy
of viral vaccines require BVDV testing of ingredients, cell substrates and final product.”(17)
And here is a similar statement from a New York Blood Center: “Bovine viral diarrhea virus, whose
small virion size does not allow 100% assurance of its removal by filtration, may potentially
contaminate every lot of commercially produced fetal bovine serum.”(18)

In reality though, how much of this particular viral contaminant has trickled into humans?
Well, in spite of manufacturers and regulatory agencies claiming efficacy of their testing procedures,
one 2001 study found 13% of human MMR, polio, or Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccines tested
positive for pestivirus RNA (19). And another researcher observes, “serum antibodies against BVDV
have been detected in approximately 30% of human population who had no contact with potentially
infected animals.”(16) Also, “pestiviruses adapted to human cell cultures may be harmful because
serious BVDV infections in humans have been frequently suggested…The BVDV persistently
infected in cell cultures used for vaccine productions have been shown to be a source of
contamination in live virus vaccines. It is, therefore, prerequisite to examine pestivirus contamination
in cell cultures to avoid secondary infectio ns in humans as well as in animals.”(20)

Continuous immortal cell lines

This same scientist brings up another important issue. Because many medical-use biological
products (including vaccines) are now being cultured or produced on what is called “continuous” cell
lines (i.e., these are cell cultures consisting of “immortal” or cancerous types of cells because they
have no limits on how many times they can divide), there is concern that viral contamination of these
cell lines with a pathogen like bovine viral diarrhea virus, could spread cancer-promoting material
into the human recipient. How could this happen? Briefly, it works like this. The virus (which in
this case has a single strand of RNA for its genome) is capable of incorporating RNA from the cells in
which it has been cultured, into its own genome. If any contaminant RNA virus is present in a culture
that contains immortal cancerous cells, this virus can easily mutate to include unwanted oncogenic
material, which can then get passed into the biological product intended for human medical use (16).

Were you aware that biological products, including some common vaccines (for instance, polio
and rabies), are being produced on “continuous” immortal cell lines? Manufacturers, scientists, and
agencies will often assure us that these cells themselves are not “tumorigenic”, i.e., they do not cause
tumors per se. A closer look however, shows this is not always the case. While lab culturing may
indicate that these types of cells are not immediately changing to overt tumor cells, it is now well-
known in the scientific community that after these cells have been repeatedly cultured a certain
number of times, something causes them to convert to a cancerous state (21).

This journal article summary addresses the issue in regards to Vero cells, which is a continuous
cell line coming from the African green monkey, and is commonly used in vaccine production. It
states, “One of the current criteria for evaluating the acceptability of cell lines for use in vaccine
production is lack of tumorigenicity. Vero cells represent an example of a class of cells known as
continuous cell lines. They were derived from African green monkey kidney, and their growth
properties and culture characteristics have many advantages over other cell substrates for use in
vaccine production. We have tested Vero cells for tumorigenicity in nude mice and in a human
muscle organ culture system, and found a significant increase in their tumorigenic potential with
increasing passage numbers. Cells at passage 232 and higher produced nodules in all nude mice
inoculated.”(22) [The term “passage” in this context means the number of times a cell line has been
cultured].

There is another very important issue reported in studies that is evidently being largely ignored
as regards long-term vaccine effects and safety. There is obvious evidence that in the lab, continuous
immortal cell lines react differently between one type of animal species and another (21, 23). As an
example, tissue from one species will allow the immortal cell to induce a cancerous change more
quickly, in comparison to tissue from a different species. These results then beg the following
questions. How extensively have these continuous cell lines been tested on human tissues, and would
the results vary from one type of tissue to another? And what happens over the long term…if an
immortal cell from a vaccine culture makes its way into the final vaccine product, does it keep
dividing in the human body? Another scenario might suggest the tumor-promoting portion of its
DNA inserting into a viral genome, which then gets injected into the body…what happens at that
point?

Furthermore, given the evidence that closely-related animal species (as an example, various
species of monkeys) react differently to immortal cells, do we also need to consider that any one
vaccine intended for all humans might ultimately react differently among the various races, ethnic
groups, and sexes? And what are the effects of the vaccine contaminants on persons with immune
depression, on the elderly, or on infants?
 A letter from the FDA to vaccine manufacturers dated as recently as March 2001 shows that
this issue regarding immortal cell lines is still of concern. It states, “In general, CBER [Center for
Biologics Evaluation and Research] currently views Vero cells as an acceptable substrate for viral
vaccines, but has residual concerns…CBER recommends that all products derived from Vero cells be
free of residual intact Vero cells. If your manufacturing process does not include a validated filtration
step or other validated procedure to clear residual intact Vero cells from the product, please
incorporate such a procedure into your manufacturing process.”(24) It is now 16 years after the
WHO gave a go-ahead (in 1986) to use continuous cell lines for vaccine production (25), and yet
there are very basic safety questions not resolved by the manufacturers, agencies, and scientific
community, much less the finer details (26, 27). One 1991 study reports: “Cell substrate DNA was
shown to be an abundant contaminant in the clarified preparations of the Sabin type 1, 2 and 3
poliovaccines produced on a continuous cell line”(28). Another indicates that immortal cell lines
showed 100-times greater number of DNA recombination events compared to normal cells (29). As
one researcher states, “Using neoplastic cell lines as substrates for vaccine development could
inadvertently result in viral-viral or viral-cellula r interactions whose biological consequences are
unclear…viral-viral and viral-cellular interactions can result in the generation of new retroviruses
with pathological consequences.”(30). We note the term “neoplastic” means the quality of having an
abnormal growth characteristic.

There is an even stronger statement dating back to 1990. A scientist in the field writes, “The
present concern is for safety of vaccines made using transformed or neoplastic mammalian cells that
may contain endogenous contaminating viruses or integrated gene sequences from oncogenic viruses.
There is also concern for use of plasmid vectors employing promoter elements from oncogenic
viruses. The principal concern for safety lies with retention of residual DNA in the vaccine,
especially since induction of cancer is a single -cell phenomenon, and a single functional unit of
foreign DNA integrated into the host cell genome might serve to induce cell transformation as a
single event or part of a series of multifactorial events. Current proposed standards for vaccines
would permit contamination with up to 100 pg [picograms] of heterologous DNA per dose. This is
equivalent to about 10(8) ‘functional lengths’ of DNA. Total safety would seem to require complete
absence of DNA from the product.”(31)

Please note that 10(8) means 10 to the power of 8, or 100,000,000 “functional lengths” of
DNA are allowed per dose of vaccine . Is there something wrong with this picture? How long will
the general public be subjected to these vaccine products that according to this information, are
nowhere near safe?

It has taken, for instance, approximately forty years for the scientific community to finally
acknowledge that we have a serious problem as a result of the contaminatio n of polio vaccines with
simian virus 40 (SV40) in the late 1950s-early 1960s. There has been previous evidence of some
human brain and other tumors containing this virus (32, 33), but the medical community has been
slow to acknowledge a definitive link between SV40 and cancer in humans. However, two
independent research teams have recently found this virus present in 43% of cases of non-Hodgkins
lymphoma (34, 35). Another study found it present in 36% of brain tumors, 16% of healthy blood
cell samples, and 22% of healthy semen samples (36). And strangely, SV40 has now been found to
infect children (37). Considering that children of this era, are not supposed to be receiving the virus
via the vaccine contamination route, this would therefore imply that SV40 is being transmitted from
one human to another, in ways not previously known.

Other simian viruses may also be contaminating the (Vero) monkey cell lines used for vaccine
production. One example from the literature cites the contamination presence of SV20, which is a
oncogenic simian adenovirus (38).
 Simply put, are we in a state of denial that vaccines are ultimately transmitting viruses, DNA,
and proteins into humans from foreign animal sources (and possibly unhealthy human sources), and
that this may be strongly contributing to the incredible upsurge in cancers and serious chronic
diseases? Are these foreign animal genes altering your DNA? Furthermore, given that viral presence
can sometimes take years to manifest actual disease symptoms, and then considering the tendencies of
health-related agencies and corporations towards short-term solutions and profits, will we ever truly
know the long-term consequences until it is too late?

Other bovine viruses

Another contaminating virus found in the calf serum used for vaccine production is bovine
polyomavirus (polyomaviruses are strongly associated with cancer); one pertinent article is titled
“Bovine polyomavirus, a frequent contaminant of calf serum”(39). Other contaminants include a
virus from the parvovirus family (40); another study cites “virus-like particles” and “mycoplasma-like
agents” in 68% and 20% of the samples, respectively (41); and yet another mentions the presence of
infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (aka bovine herpesvirus 1), and parainfluenza-3 virus in
addition to the common BVDV (42). An interesting report from 1975 not only affirms the presence
of these viruses in calf serum, and mentions the additional presence of bovine enterovirus-4, but also
tells us that 25% of serum lots that were pre-tested by the suppliers and “considered to be free of
known viral contaminants” were actually contaminated with bovine viruses (43). It should be
obvious that any bovine blood-borne virus (including serious retroviruses such as bovine leukemia
virus, bovine visna virus, and bovine immunodeficiency virus) could ultimately end up in human or
animal vaccines via the use of calf serum in the manufacturing process.

Contamination of calf serum with certain bovine herpesviruses, and the possible implication for
human health, deserves a bit of scrutiny. It is known that bovine herpesvirus-1 replicates easily in a
human embryo cell line called WI-38 (44). It is also known that bovine herpesvirus-4 is quite
“persistent” in calf serum, and has a wide host range, including human cells (45). In fact, this
particular virus strongly replicates in two human embryonic cell lines, WI-38 and MRC-5, enough so
to prompt one author to give these details and a warning: “PCR [polymerase chain reaction] detected
a 10,000-times-higher level of BHV-4 [bovine herpesvirus-4] DNA… the supernatant indicated a
100-fold increase of infectious particles. Since this is the first bovine (human herpesvirus 8 and
Epstein-Barr virus rela ted) herpesvirus which replicates on human cells in vitro, the danger of
possible human BHV-4 infection should not be ignored.” (46)

The clincher to this possible contamination, is that these same human cell lines WI-38 and
MRC-5 are two of the most common human cell lines used to manufacture viral vaccines, (for
example - rubella, chickenpox, smallpox) and these cell lines are of course, commonly nurtured with
calf serum.

Contaminants from chicken sources

Some viral vaccines are produced by growing the virus in chicken eggs. Common human
vaccines manufactured by this method include influenza, mumps, measles, yellow fever, and others.
Like the vaccines that include bovine-source materials, those derived from chicken embryo culture
are plagued with some very serious viral contamination problems.

Avian leukosis virus (aka avian leukemia virus or ALV) is a retroviral pathogen that infects
large segments of the modern poultry industry, is present in commercial chickens and eggs, and thus
exposes humans on a consistent basis (47). An interesting virus in the sense that it can be considered
a “parent”, it easily transforms into a dizzying array of related viruses by hijacking one of numerous
cancer-related gene segments from its host, and inserting it into its own genome. Furthermore, it has
the additional capability of inserting itself into the host (including human) genome, hiding out so to
speak, and causing cancerous cell transformation from that location. There is now much scientific
literature available that describes the various active mechanisms of this and other cancer-associated
viruses (48). Viruses that originate from the “parent” avian leukosis virus, include the potent Rous
sarcoma virus, Rous-associated viruses, avian myeloblastosis virus, avian myelocytoma virus, avian
erythroblastosis virus, Fujinami sarcoma virus, etc. One group of researchers studying the
mechanism of ALV writes, “Serial passaging of a retrovirus that does not carry an oncogene on such
cultures leads with a high frequency to the emergence of new viruses that have transduced
oncogenes…”(49). In other words, given the right growth conditions, ALV can easily transform into
other closely related viruses that are known to be cancer-related.

Just how common is this avian leukosis virus in viral vaccines? The first evidence of
contamination came to light in the 1960s when yellow fever vaccine was found to contain it (50).
Since that time, it is common knowledge in the industry that this virus (or components thereof) still
linger in human and animal vaccines (51). Indeed, the respected Fields Virology text (year 2001
edition) states, “At the present time, vaccines produced by some of the world’s 12 manufacturing
institutes are contaminated with avian leukosis virus”(52). One point that researchers in this field do
agree upon, are the presence of ALV, avian endogenous virus, avian reticuloendotheliosis virus
(another poultry retrovirus), and also an enzyme called reverse transcriptase (a component of
retroviruses) in final vaccine products intended for human use, especially the mumps, measles, yellow
fever, and influenza vaccines (53, 54, 55). What they do not agree upon are the effects on humans in
terms of transmission, infection, and possible subsequent disease. A recent study coming out of the
U.S. CDC (Centers for Disease Control), which analyzed frozen blood serum samples from children
that had received MMR vaccinations, reports no avian viral presence in these samples (56).

And yet, we see reports from other researchers that make us question the results of that study.
As is often the case with viruses, some strains will show particular affinities for certain types of
tissues or growth conditions, and ALV is no exception (57). One researcher makes the effort to
explain, “Because of the difficulty in infecting mammalian cells in vitro with these viruses, it is
generally held that they do not infect humans…Our results show that exposed poultry workers and
subjects with no occupational exposure to these viruses have antibodies in their sera specifically
directed against ALSV [Avian leucosis/sarcoma viruses]… Further investigation into whether these
findings mean that virus has been integrated into the human genome is needed, to assess the public
health implications of these results.”(58). He also explains in another article, that given the known
behavior of these viruses in mammalian cellular culture, a blood serum test will not always provide
the correct evidence of viral presence in the human body (47). In other words, does the virus (or viral
antibodies) need to be actively present in the blood stream at the time of the blood draw? What if the
viral particles have retreated into other tissues? Thus the CDC study mentioned above may not have
presented an accurate assessment of viral presence, or long-term effects from the numerous ALV-
associated “offspring” viruses. Considering that ALV can for example, easily capture the human
“erbB” oncogene (59), and that erbB as well as the oncogene called myc are strongly associated with
common forms of human breast cancer, it seems that the issue of ALV vaccine contamination would
deserve a high level of attention! (By the way, the general reader should not feel intimidated by the
abbreviations associated with oncogenes…erb refers to “erythroblastosis”, and myc refers to
myelocytomatosis, which are the names of two ALV-associated offspring viruses). A well-known
microbiology text reinforces these concepts by teaching, “Proto-oncogenes become incorporated into
retroviral genomes with surprising ease.” (60)

Toxin contamination

The unintentional presence of bacterial-source toxins (called “endotoxins” or “exotoxins”) in

human and veterinary vaccines has been recognized for many years. Such toxins are originally
present in source materials, or are produced as a result of bacterial infection during the manufacturing
process (61, 62). The various methods used in attempts to eliminate viruses and bacteria from
vaccines are simply not effective in the removal of these problematic toxic proteins (63). Several
observers have expressed concern that the presence of endotoxin may be a source of severe adverse
reactions seen in some individuals after receiving a vaccine (61, 64). Some vaccines, such as those
for diphtheria and tetanus, are specifically created to induce a protective mechanism in the body
against the bacterial toxin; however, vaccines prepared from bacteria can contain appreciable and
potentially dangerous lingering amounts of toxin, despite the steps used during manufacture to
decrease the toxic potency, as described in this comment: “Vaccines composed of gram-negative
bacteria contain endotoxin in considerable amounts. This may result in adverse effects after
vaccinatio n of sensitive animals.” (65). It has also been reported that bacterial toxin contamination
residing in calf serum, can cause breaks in the DNA of human cells (66).

Bacterial contamination - nanobacteria

Nanobacteria is a recently discovered pathogen that infects humans. Now considered to be the
smallest existing bacterial form known to science, it escapes through common filtering processes, and
can easily invade other cells and cause cell death. Nanobacteria also are classed as “pleomorphic”,
that is, they have the ability the change physical form. A human variety of this pathogen has been
found to cause or be associated with a host of disease conditions, only a few of which include
atherosclerosis, coronary artery / heart disease, kidney stones and kidney disease, arthritis, MS,
alzheimers, some cancers, and other conditions (67).

Since this species of bacteria is specific to mammals, and must be lab-cultured in mammalian
blood or serum, it is not surprising that this variety of nanobacterium has been isolated as a
contaminant from bovine calf serum, other mammaliam bio-products, and vaccines. One study
reports that 100% of serum of cattle in a US herd showed antigens to nanobacteria, and cites another
report from Europe that, “more than 80% of commercial bovine serum lots contain Nanobacterium”
(68). Obviously, any vaccines that must incorporate mammalian products during production (which
would include cow, monkey, or human cells, blood or serum), will be prone to nanobacterial
contamination. This was indeed verified when a group of researchers found that 2 out of 3 lots of
inactivated polio vaccine, and 3 out of 6 lots of veterinary vaccines were contaminated with
nanobacteria. They also point out that the bacteria could be coming from calf serum and
contaminated culture cell lines (69). Any reasoning person with a basic knowledge of vaccine
production can deduce that nanobacteria have undoubtedly been infecting humans in a fairly
widespread manner via vaccination procedures. One might also wonder whether it has contributed to
the current prevalence of atherosclerosis and generalized heart disease.

Bacterial contamination – mycoplasmas and related forms

If there is any one type of bacterial contamination in vaccines that warrants particular attention,
it would be mycoplasmas. These small organisms have a structure not characteristic of most forms of
bacteria, i.e., they usually contain a thin outer membrane as compared to the more complex walls of
common bacterial forms. They are described as being capable of slipping through filtration
procedures, and can transfer to other media through the air or via routine handling in the lab (70).
One source states that “less than 10% of laboratories actually test for infectio n/contamination
regularly”…that mycoplasmas are “influencing almost every aspect of cell biology”…and that labs
“which do not test for mycoplasma probably harbour contaminated cell lines and may even have their
entire stocks contaminated, as mycoplasma spreads readily along cell lines via regents and media, the
operator and the work surface” (71). They are resistant to certain types of antibiotics used to kill other
bacteria (70, 72), and are subject to changing form under varying physiological or biochemic al
conditions (73).

The journal and industry literature is filled with references to the problems of mycoplasma
contamination in cell cultures and vaccines. Various studies cite corrupted cell lines ranging in
occurrence from 5% to 87% (71, 72, 74, 75, 76), and as we now know, once this pathogen is in the
cell culture being used to make the vaccine, it is liable to end up in the final product (77, 78, 79,80).
One author states, “Mycoplasma contaminants can be considered important not only because of their
role as pathogens but also because they may indicate that insufficient care has been taken during
vaccine manufacture or quality control.” (81). Species of mycoplasmas that have polluted the cell
cultures include Mycoplasma hominis, M. fermentans (implicated in Gulf War illness), M. arginini,
M. hyorhinis, M. orale, M. pirum, M. pneumoniae, and Acholeplasma laidlawii (75, 76, 82). Any
reputable company that sells tissue or cell culture material, also must test for and sell kits to detect
mycoplasmas (72, 75, 76, 83, 84).

Mycoplasmas and associated variant forms have long been associated with many disease
processes, including cancer, chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,
arthritis, Gulf War Illness, and many others (73, 85, 86). It would be impossible to cite all the
pertinent references in this short report, on this vast arena of microbiology that is often ignored by
much of the medical community, sometimes with tragic consequences. Mycoplasmas without
question have the capability of altering cell membranes and their antigens, disrupting DNA, and
altering cellular metabolism both in vitro and in vivo (70, 71, 72, 73, 86).

Cross-contamination of cell lines

As we recall that all viral vaccines can only be produced with the use of cells, the purity of the
cell lines an important issue. The most famous example of many cell lines becoming contaminated
from outside sources, occurred when the famous and extremely fastidious HeLa cancer cells started
showing up in labs across the world in the 1960s. The phenomenon is well-documented (87, 88, 89,
90), and is even the subject of an entire book (91). One study from 1976 cited a litany of
contamination in all primary and continuous cell lines that were examined – many viruses were
found, as well as HeLa cells (92). As the years progress, the reports continue to come in: one from
1984, for instance, tells of inter- and intra-species cell cross-contamination, that 35% of all cell lines
were corrupted, and that most of these lines were (originally) cells of human origin (93).

Let’s fast-forward to 1999. A study in Germany finds that the problem is continuing, if not
worsening. In a survey of human cell lines, the most common cross-contaminants came from “classic
tumor cell lines”; that these polluted lines had been unknowingly used in “several hundred” projects
which generated potentially false reports; and that they considered it a “grave and chronic problem
demanding radical measures” (94).

The situation is such that several scientists were prompted to write a letter to the respected
journal “Nature” in January 2000, calling for immediate action to institute procedures that would
verify the purity of cells used for research and production of biological products, ensure freedom
from mycoplasma, and include biohazard information (95). (Did I hear that correctly – cells can be
considered a biohazard)? Has anything changed since then to remedy the situation? There is another
report from Jan. 2002, that two major cell lines used in research projects actually turned out to be
HeLa cells (96).

I ask the reader to now recall information from earlier in this report, that there are proposals
being considered to produce vaccines and other biological products using distinctly cancerous cell
lines, including HeLa (25). Does this seem reasonable, especially since the current lines are already
dangerously tainted with HeLa and possibly other cancerous cells? Please remember the 100,000,000
allowable pieces of cell-source DNA allowed per dose of vaccine (and this does not include the viral
contaminants). Anyone care for a small, under-the-skin serving of human cancer-cell-component
soup? With maybe a few monkey cell fragments for garnish, and viruses for flavor?

Additional points to consider

 There are several issues the public and medical community may want to be aware of
concerning safe administration of vaccines. The human and animal body has normal barriers that
help to protect against infiltration by foreign agents, among them are the skin, the respiratory and
intestinal mucous linings, and the blood-brain barrier. The puncture of skin by a needle breaches that
barrier. A group of researchers states, “Virus contamination of bioproducts such as vaccines, blood
products or biological material used in surgery and for transplantations also is more hazardous
because the application of contaminating virus usually occurs by circumvention of the natural barrier
systems of the body…virus contamination of bioproducts should be considered as a hazard no matter
which method has been used for its detection.” (97). Of even more concern, is the administration of
vaccines nasally (through the nose), or accidental passage via that route (98). Fields Virology text
(2001) says, “The olfactory tract has long been recognized as an alternative pathway to the CNS
[central nervous system]…olfactory neurons…are unprotected by the blood brain barrier.” While that
writer particularly addresses the flavivirus family [i.e., “intranasal inoculation of flaviviruses may
result in lethal encephalitis” (99)], this pattern of potential danger may deserve further attention than
it currently receives, especially if there ever is consideration to use a method of nasal inoculation for
mass vaccination of the public or military, and there may be contaminating viruses or toxins in a
vaccine that have an affinity for nerve cells and tissues.

Mass immunization programs often use jet injectors to save the time and inconvenience
associated with needles and syringes. However, a study published in July 2001, found that the four
injectors tested had the capability of transferring tiny amounts of fluid and blood (and thus, viruses
such as hepatitis B and C, HIV, etc.) from one recipient to the next (100). Numerous other articles
confirm the danger, and question the safety of these devices, including one study that reported an
outbreak of hepatitis B associated with use of a jet injector (101, 102).

Some of the newest types of vaccines are called “subunit” and “naked DNA” vaccines.
Without going into the intricacies of their production, they involve techniques used in genetic
engineering. Subunit vaccines generally will insert a viral or bacterial DNA section into the DNA
from yeast, which is allowed to reproduce in large quantities. The protein intended for inclusion in
the vaccine is then separated from the yeast cells. In the case of naked DNA vaccines, the viral or
DNA gene is first reproduced, then spliced into a plasmid (which is essentially free DNA, widely
used in recombinant technology), reproduced in bacteria or cells, and then separated from them for
inclusion in the vaccine. Recombinant gene vaccines can also be produced via these methods – for
instance, hepatitis B is now an exclusively recombinant vaccine (103, 104)

One of the major concerns with these methods is the unpredictability and interaction of the final
vaccine product with the proteins or DNA of the host. A document from the FDA states: “Genetic
toxicity: Integration of the plasmid DNA vaccine into the genome of the vaccinated subjects is an
important theoretical risk to consider in preclinical studies. The concern is that an integrated vaccine
may result in insertional mutagenesis through the activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor
suppressor genes. In addition, an integrated plasmid DNA vaccine may result in chromosomal
instability through the induction of chromosomal breaks or rearrangements.” (105). Another group
advises, “Research findings in gene therapy and vaccine development show that naked/free nucleic
acids constructs are readily taken up by the cells of all species including human beings. These nucleic
acid constructs can become integrated into the cell's genome and such integration may result in
harmful biological effects, including cancers.” (106). And to reiterate the danger of tumorigenic cell
lines, a researcher says, “More recently, recombinant DNA technology has expanded beyond bacterial
cells to mammalian cells, some of which may also be tumorigenic.” (107).

It seems obvious that there needs to be a new and open dialog regarding vaccines among the
regulatory agencies, manufacturers, research and medical community, and the public. Many have
been ridiculed for refusing vaccination for themselves or their children, but considering the
occurrences of short-term adverse events and questionable efficacy (108), possible long-term health
damage, and now also facing the potential of wide-ranging loss of civil liberties (109), is it so
surprising that many are questioning what the actual benefits are surrounding most vaccination
protocols? Are the cases of damaged children, non-functional adults, the huge increases in cancer
rates, immune and chronic diseases to be simply and blindly accepted by the public as “tolerable
losses”?

As a citizen with a right to good health, please be advised of the following issues. Vaccine
quality in the U.S. relies for the most part, on manufacturers reporting to the FDA. Here is a relevant
statement from the CDC: “Manufacturers are required to submit the results of their own tests for
potency, safety, and purity for each vaccine lot to the FDA. They are also required to submit samples
of each vaccine lot to FDA for testing. However, if the sponsor describes an alternative procedure
which provides continued assurance of safety, purity and potency, CBER may determine that routine
submission of lot release protocols (showing results of applicable tests) and samples is not
necessary.” (110) Yes, this is the scope of the quality-control protocol that oversees a market worth
billions of dollars, yet allowing all these contaminants into the vaccines.

It may be helpful to have an idea of the scope of the operation to understand what we are
dealing with here. We are advised that “Large-scale cell culture operations for biotechnology
products use millions of litres of complex media and gases as well as huge quantities of organic and
inorganic raw materials. These raw materials must always be assumed to contain contamination by
adventitious agents” (111). And because there is a potentially large number of animal and human
viruses (or viral segments) that could be entering into the final vaccine products, it would take a
equally large bank of molecular probes, as well as frequent, wide-spread testing, to screen for
presence of these contaminating agents. This would obviously add time and expense for the
manufacturers. What needs to be decided is this – is the effort and cost involved in cleaning up these
admittedly filthy medical products, worth the resultant benefit to the public health? And since certain
animal products are necessary for the production of vaccines, it may also be necessary to clean house
at several levels, including the agricultural sector. It is no secret for instance, that commercial
chicken flocks raised for meat and eggs are often carrying infectious avian leucosis virus, mentioned
earlier in this report (112, 113, 114)

For the record, the smallpox vaccine ordered by the U.S. government from Aventis is being
produced on two types of continuous cell lines, the human embryonic MRC-5 and the green monkey
Vero cells (115). We might also be advised of one researcher’s thoughts, that “normal embryo and
foreskin cells presumably represent a state in development which is genetically unstable, rendering
them considerably more susceptible to malignant transformation.” (116). Are remnants of these types
of cells something we want injected into our bodies?

The decision you make in accepting or refusing a vaccination can be a very personal one, but
whatever you decide, do try to be informed of the true benefits and risks. Nobody should be forced to
submit to any medical procedure, especially one of questionable value.

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