Lancet – Resistance of AIDS Virus at Room Temperature –
September 28, 1985
LAV/HTLV-III, the agent causing AIDS, has been isolated from body
fluids (blood, semen, saliva, tears). Its isolation in saliva
prompted us to investigate the possibility of TRANSMISSION BY
SALIVA, and we have studied the sensitivity of LAV/HTLV-III at room
temperature.
The virus used for the infectivity assay was left at room
temperature for 0, 2, 4, or 7 days in a sealed tube or ALLOWED TO
DRY in a petri dish.
After the times indicated in the figure the virus was used to infect
stimulated T lymphocytes and viral production was determined in
cell-free supernatant by testing for the reverse transcriptase
activity twice a week.
[The data] shows the UNUSUAL STABILITY of HTLV-III at room
temperature. No significant difference was found between 0, 2, or 4
days. Only a slight decrease is noted with a delay in the virus
production indicating a loss of few infectious particles after 7
days at room temperature.
Two petri dishes containing 25,000 cpm equivalent reverse
transcriptase of dry virus were kept at room temperature for 4 or 7
days and then resuspended in .220 ml water and used to measure the
infectivity.
As [the data show], significant numbers of viral particles are then
inactivated, but some infectious virus is still present since
release of virus was seen on day 10. This result indicates that the
virus is RESISTANT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, either in DRY form OR LIQUID
medium.
This resistance of LAV at room temperature MAY EXPLAIN THE
APPEARANCE OF SOME CASES of AIDS cases in NON-RISK GROUPS.
To prevent possible contamination by viral particles in dry or
liquid form hygiene should be increased in the general population.
Moreover, some more safety precautions should be taken in
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laboratories and in hospitals and by dentists who use a vacuum pump
for saliva aspiration. Indeed, these data strongly support the use
of disinfectants found to be effective against the AIDS agent.
[F. Barre-Sinoussi et al., Resistance of AIDS Virus at Room
Temperature, Lancet,
28 September 1985, pp. 721-722.]