Physicochemical Properties of Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Abstract

One of virus strains, isolated from Japanese cattle and serologically identified as bovine respiratory syncytial (RS) virus, was examined. The virus was shown to be an RNA virus with a buoyant density of 1.225, filtrable through a Sartorius membrane filter of 200 nm pore size but not through a 100 or 50 nm filter, sensitive to ether, chloroform and deoxycholate, readily inactivated by trypsin, labile at 56 C and 37 C but stable at -80 C, rapidly inactivated at pH 3.0, and resistant to freeze-thawing. These properties are compatible with those previously reported for RS virus of human and bovine origin.

Respiratory syncytial virus

“…Virus infectivity is destroyed by ether, chloroform, 0.25 per cent trypsin or 0.1 per cent sodium deoxycholate (42,128). The virus is rapidly inactivated at pH 3 but relatively stable above pH 4.…”

“…Infectivity is also thermolabile; its half life at 56 ° C is 0.5--2.8 minutes and at 37 ° C is initially t--7 hours. The buoyant density of RSV in caesium chloride is between 1.21 and 1.24 g/ml (23, 47,128) and sucrose between 1.16 and 1.26 g/ml (77,157,162,296). Inorganic salts, particularly divalent cations such as magnesium and calcium, glucose and sucrose protect virus against inactivation (77,162,225,278).…”