Stability of minute virus of mice to chemical and physical agents.

Minute virus of mice (MVM), a single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid Parvovirus, was subjected to various inactivation procedures, including chemical disinfectants, heat, and ultraviolet radiation. MVM was found to be less stable than has been reported for other Parvoviruses. This virus was readily inactivated by a variety of chemical disinfectants, including alcohols, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and chloroform. MVM was more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation than was Kilham's rat virus. MVM was more sensitive to heating at temperatures of 35 to 100 C than has been reported for other Parvoviruses. More than 95% of MVM infectivity was inactivated by heating (45, 60, or 100 C) for 60 min, acid (pH 2.0) treatment, or ultraviolet radiation treatment, although a small percentage (less than 2%) of the virus preparation was found to be resistant to these treatments. In addition, more than 99% of the infectivity of MVM was lost after storage at 4C for 10 weeks, although the virus was stable on storage in liquid nitrogen.