Heat inactivation of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus

Abstract

The culture supernatants of the emerging Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were submitted to three temperatures over time and tested for infectivity by TCID50 method on Vero E6 cells. At 56°C, almost 25 minutes were necessary to reduce the initial titre by 4 log10. Increasing temperature to 65°C had a strong negative effect on viral infectivity as virucidy dropped significantly to 1 minute. On the contrary, no significant decrease in titre was observed after 2 hours at 25°C. These data might be useful in establishing biosafety measures in laboratories against MERS-CoV.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus on inanimate surfaces: A risk for health care transmission

“…10 Further, Leclercq et al demonstrated that at relatively low temperatures of 56°C, only 25 minutes was needed to reduce the initial titer by 4 log10, while at 65°C virucidy dropped significantly to 1 minute. 11 This sensitivity to weak disinfectants could explain why our stringent environmental cleaning policies may have attenuated the recovery of viral genetic material on fomites within the patients' rooms.…”

Coronavirus Disease 2019: Coronaviruses and Blood Safety

“…Usually, 60°C for 15-30 minutes is enough for reduction of SARS-CoV from plasma without cells [49], and inactivation could be achieved by 60°C for 10 hours for plasma products [52]. In the other study, heating at 56°C for 25 minutes could reduce more than 4 log 10 TCID 50 /mL of MERS virus [53]. Because heating could denature protein in blood products, it could only be used in manufactured plasma-derived products.…”

“…The infectious titer of virus did not show any significant reduction after 25 cycles of thawing and freezing [44]. After the outbreak of SARS and MERS, a few studies investigated pathogen inactivation/reduction technologies (PRTs) based on in-house or commercial methods with the aim to decrease or completely eradicate the potential risk of transmission of coronaviruses via blood products or blood derivatives [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]. These studies are summarized in Table 1.…”

An opportunistic Pathogen Afforded Ample Opportunities: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

“…[64][65][66][67][68][69] The virus appears sensitive to standard heat and chemical inactivation measures. [70,71] Antibodies to MERS-CoV have been found in camel sera as far back as 1983. In each animal, antibodies to MERS-CoV are short-lived and do not prevent reinfection.…”