Abstract
Summary
Venezuelan encephalitis virus suspensions were affected differently by various lipid solvents. Infectivity titers of both crude virus suspensions from mouse brain or primary chicken embryonic cell cultures and density gradient-purified virus from cultures were reduced more and faster by sodium deoxycholate (SDC), diethyl ether, or chloroform than by pentane or hexane. Benzene failed to affect infectivity titers of even density gradient-purified virus. Hemagglutinin (HA) titers decreased after 2–6 hr of treatment of virus with diethyl ether or chloroform, but remained unchanged for 24 hr with SDC, pentane, hexane, or benzene. Complement-fixing antigen titers of crude virus suspensions were unchanged by these lipid solvents. Alcohols rapidly destroyed all three viral properties, although water was essential for alcohol inactivation since lyophilized virus was unaffected by absolute ethanol. Evidently hydrophilic hydroxyl groups are important in viral inactivation by these chemicals since pentanol and phenol were much more rapidly virucidal than pentane and benzene.
The assistance of Karen Anderson is gratefully acknowledged.
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