Affiliation:
1. Dudley Observatory and Division of Laboratories and Research, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York 12201
Abstract
Infectivity of dried coliphage T1 has been measured as a function of humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. Loss of infectivity by a factor of 10
4
was caused by water vapor of approximately 40 to 85% saturation when the microorganisms were kept for 3 days at 34 C in evacuated containers. At humidities below 40% and above 90% saturation, no loss of infectivity occurred. At a temperature of 24 C, the infectivity loss was 20-fold. When the virus preparation was kept at 34 C and atmospheric pressure, some loss of infectivity was also found at humidities below 40% and above 90% saturation. Damage to tail proteins or to the phage chromosome is considered as a possible explanation for the inactivation.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics,General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine