Ultraviolet Inactivation of Chikungunya Virus

Abstract

Objective: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a rapidly emerging arbovirus causing millions of infections in more than 40 countries. CHIKV is typically a biosafety level 3 pathogen in many countries and handling of CHIKV requires a high standard of laboratory safety settings. Many studies require the whole virus to be handled in a biosafety level 2 setting. A potential solution for managing this problem is pathogen inactivation without affecting its antigenicity. In the present study, we attempted to inactivate CHIKV by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Methods: Different UV doses were used to inactivate CHIKV. The replication status of the inactivated virus was verified in cell lines. Western blot, electron microscopy, and immune fluorescence assay were used, respectively, to view the antigenicity, structural integrity, and entry of the virus into cell lines. Results: The inactivation was complete when a UV dose of 0.09 J/cm² for 3 × 30 s was used and no change in antigenicity and integrity was observed. Conclusions: The study concludes that the UV-inactivated virus is antigenically stable and could be used in biosafety level 2 settings for different experiments.

Immunogenic properties of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated by ultraviolet light

“…Since RNA-containing viruses usually have ineffective mechanisms of genome repair, they can be easily inactivated by UV radiation [ 38 – 40 ]. It is important to mention that ultraviolet light effectively inactivates viruses while preserving the integrity of epitopes, which allows the use of preparations of UV-inactivated viruses in the production of diagnostic test systems and vaccines [ 33 , 34 , 37 , 39 , 40 ]. Since UV irradiation causes non-specific damage to viral RNA, we believe that the results obtained on three antigenically different strains of SARS-CoV-2 (Dubrovka, Altufjevo, and Podolsk) are applicable to other SARS-CoV-2 strains .…”

Molecular fluorescence spectroscopy with multi-way analysis techniques detects spectral variations distinguishing uninfected serum versus dengue or chikungunya viral infected samples

“…Although the excitation range used is within the UV range, it is demonstrable that this does not cause problems in the classification process. The absorption of UV radiation causes photochemical damage to virus RNA since this radiation induces lesions such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers or 6–4 photoproducts, inhibiting virus replication 30 . However, since these lesions are minimal, occur only in viral RNA and in both virus types (DENV and CHIKV), this is not a problem from the standpoint of classification since the viral particles are still present in the sample, having just undergone inactivation.…”

A Review on Chikungunya Virus Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Current Vaccine Development

“…This type of strategy uses whole virus nonreplicant particles that cannot convert to their virulent form. The inactivation of CHIKV can be performed by means of some components, such as: 1,5 iodonapil azide [ 126 ], ultraviolet (UV) [ 127 ], formalin, and β-propiolactone [ 104 ]. In the case of the BBV87 vaccine, the method of viral inactivation is formalin, which is commonly used for the production of inactivated viral vaccines and has also been evaluated in preclinical trials with CHIKV.…”