The Effect of Some Chemicals on Purified Influenza Virus

A study was made of the effect of 0.05 and 0.5 N solutions of 20 different chemicals on the activity of purified PR8 influenza virus in 0.1 M phosphate buffer. It was found by tests in chick embryos and in mice that virus activity was destroyed by strong oxidizing agents such as iodine, by salts of heavy metals, by mercurochrome, by formaldehyde, and by the detergents phemerol, roccal, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Reducing agents appeared to have little if any inactivating effect with the exception of 0.05 N ascorbic acid. At the concentrations tested, sulfathiazole sodium exerted only a weak inactivating effect. 0.5 N phenol inactivated the virus promptly, but solutions of the strength more commonly used for bactericidal purposes were only weakly virucidal. The virus appeared relatively unaffected by glucose, ammonium sulfate, calcium chloride, sodium thiosulfate, and arginine.