Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Influenza A virus (IAV) infection contributes to high annual morbidity and mortality, thus necessitating measures aimed at protecting against the disease. Alcohol-based disinfectants are commonly used to inactivate IAV, but they have several undesirable properties. In search of other means which would inactivate IAV, we focused on the effect of alkaline solutions on IAV. We found the viral infectivity remarkably decreased with treatment of an alkaline solution at pH 12.0 for 1 min, where destruction of the viral spikes was observed using an electron microscope. A more detailed examination revealed that the infectivity of IAV was remarkedly reduced by brief treatment with the alkaline solution at pH 11.75 or above, most likely due to the degradation of viral hemagglutinin protein. These results show that at a high pH, the haemagglutinin protein is degraded, resulting in very rapid inactivation of IAV.
Source: Viruses
DOI: 10.3390/v16101636
Institutions: Chubu University, Japan Science and Technology Agency
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,955
Funder: Naito Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4403612141