This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zolg, J W Articles by Meyer, W A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zolg, J W Articles by Meyer, W A, 3rd Agricola Articles by Zolg, J W Articles by Meyer, W A

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 September; 56(9): 2755-2760

Inactivation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in blood samples stored as high-salt lysates.

Department of Molecular Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

ABSTRACT

Blood samples to be tested for the presence of parasite DNA by using specific DNA probes are routinely stored in our laboratory as high-salt lysates (HSL). To safeguard against the risk of accidental infection with etiological agents such as the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) while manipulating large numbers of blood samples in preparation for DNA probing, we determined the residual infectivity of HIV-1 after exposure to HSL components. Both high-titer virus stocks or provirus-carrying cells, suspended either in tissue culture medium or freshly drawn blood, were completely inactivated upon contact with the HSL components. This was verified by the absence of any detectable HIV-1-specific antigen in the supernatants of long-term cultures and the absence of virus-specific DNA fragments after amplification by polymerase chain reaction with DNA from such cultures as target DNA. These results support the conclusion that the virus is in fact completely inactivated by contact with the HSL components, rendering blood specimens stored as HSL noninfectious in regard to HIV-1.