Thermal stability and inactivation of hepatitis C virus grown in cell culture | Song et al. Virology Journal 2010 7 40 http content 7 1 40 VIROLOGY JOURNAL RESEARCH Open Access Thermal stability and inactivation of hepatitis C virus grown in cell culture Hongshuo Song1 Jin Li1 Shuang Shi1 Ling Yan1 Hui Zhuang1 Kui Li2 Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus HCV is a blood-borne flavivirus that infects many millions of people worldwide. Relatively little is known however concerning the stability of HCV and reliable procedures for inactivating this virus. Methods In the current study the thermostability of cell culture-derived HCV HCVcc JFH-1 strain under different environmental temperatures 37 C room temperature and 4 C and the ability of heat UVC light irradiation and aldehyde and detergent treatments to inactivate HCVcc were evaluated. The infectious titers of treated viral samples were determined by focus-forming unit FFU assay using an indirect immunofluorescence assay for HCV NS3 in hepatoma Huh7-25-CD81 cells highly permissive for HCVcc infection. MTT cytotoxicity assay was performed to determine the concentrations of aldehydes or detergents at which they were no longer cytotoxic. Results HCVcc in culture medium was found to survive 37 C and room temperature RT 25 2 C for 2 and 16 days respectively while the virus was relatively stable at 4 C without drastic loss of infectivity for at least 6 weeks. HCVcc in culture medium was sensitive to heat and could be inactivated in 8 and 4 min when incubated at 60 C and 65 C respectively. However at 56 C 40 min were required to eliminate HCVcc infectivity. Addition of normal human serum to HCVcc did not significantly alter viral stability at RT or its susceptibility to heat. UVC light irradiation wavelength nm with an intensity of 450 pW cm2 efficiently inactivated HCVcc within 2 min. Exposures to formaldehyde glutaraldehyde ionic or nonionic detergents all destroyed HCVcc infectivity effectively regardless of whether the treatments were conducted in the presence of cell .
