The effect of peptone on the inactivation of a bacteriophage by chemical antimicrobial agents

Abstract

Abstract BECAUSE of their intracellular parasitic nature, infectious virus particles are almost invariably closely associated with substances derived from the host organism. In the chemical disinfection of virus contaminated material, the possible interference in the action of the inactivating agent by extraneous organic matter is therefore of particular importance. Little quantitative information on such effects is available however. Peptone reduces the activity of formaldehyde, phenol and sodium hypochlorite against Bacillus subtilis spores (Bullock & Rawlins, 1950, 1954) and it has been used here to illustrate the effect of non-viral organic matter on the chemical inactivation of a bacterial virus.