Effective Chemical Inactivation of Ebola Virus

Abstract

Reliable inactivation of specimens before removal from high-level biocontainment is crucial for safe operation. To evaluate efficacy of methods of chemical inactivation, we compared in vitro and in vivo approaches using Ebola virus as a surrogate pathogen. Consequently, we have established parameters and protocols leading to reliable and effective inactivation.

Keywords: Ebola virus; chemical inactivation; mouse model; tissue culture; viruses.

Figure

Ebola virus inactivation results as tested in BALB/c mouse model. A) Survival in animal groups tested with samples inactivated by guanidinium isothiocyanate buffers. AVL140, 140 µL Buffer AVL (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA, USA) + 560 µL sample; AVL100, 100 µL Buffer AVL + 600 µL sample; RLT600, 600 µL Buffer RLT (QIAGEN) treatment of cells; RLT800, 800 µL Buffer RLT treatment of cells; + ethanol, after a Buffer AVL or Buffer RLT inactivation contact time of 10 min, addition of 100% or 70% ethanol, respectively, for an additional 20 min of contact time. B) Survival in animal groups tested with samples inactivated by fixative or detergent buffers. For all test groups, n = 15; for all control groups, n = 5.