Stability of ectromelia virus strain NIH-79 under various laboratory conditions.
Ectromelia virus strain NIH-79 was suspended in fetal bovine serum (FBS), minimum essential medium, Hanks' base plus 10% FBS (MEMH + FBS), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or PBS plus 50% glycerol (PBS + G). Suspensions were held as liquids or as dry spots at various temperatures. Virus was most stable in FBS and least stable in PBS + G at 4 degrees C, room temperature (23-25 degrees C) or 37 degrees C. Virus held at 4 degrees C was more stable than virus held at higher temperatures, irrespective of supporting medium. Dried spots of blood or serum from ectromelia virus-infected mice remained infectious at room temperature for 11 days and 4 days, respectively. Dried spots of FBS that contained virus were infectious for 5 days, whereas virus retained infectivity for 1 day after drying in other media. Virus was inactivated completely in 10% serum in PBS exposed to 60 degrees C for 30 minutes. Virus was inactivated completely in slices of infected liver and spleen immersed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for 20 hours. These results show that the stability of ectromelia virus strain NIH-79 is medium and temperature dependent and that rapid inactivation occurs after treatments routinely used in diagnostic and research procedures.
D000818:Animals; D004481:Ectromelia virus / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods