📄 Thermal inactivation studies of a coronavirus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus

The thermolability of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) was studied between 31 and 55°C using two different strains. The loss of infectivity followed first order kinetics except at the highest temperature. The values of the thermodynamic parameters indicated that the mechanisms involved above and below 45°C are clearly distinct. The rates of inactivation were greater at alkaline than at neutral pH, yet the nature of the reaction appeared unchanged. Using four independent stocks of mutagenized virus, we failed to select thermal-resistant mutants by survivor selection at 38°C. In contrast, thermal-resistant mutants were consistently obtained at 54°C. However, the latter did not show any increased stability at 38°C, confirming the fact that a different inactivation process takes place at high and at physiological temperatures.

keywords 🔗 gastroenteritis virus (188) 🔗 transmissible gastroenteritis (226)

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