Hantavirus

Gretchen Voeks <gretchen_voeks [at] nps__gov> writes

>...  Can anyone suggest other methods
>of killing this virus without harming the objects?

In researching this topic for a paper, I found a reference to a
collection from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) thought to
be infected with hantavirus that was treated with heat.  The
procedure used on the LANL materials involved placing the materials
in a microbiology incubator at temperatures in excess of 60C for a
minimum of 20 minutes. These high temperatures inactivate the virus
by destroying its molecular structure.

    Warling, R., and F. Bolton
    "410-Preventing Hantavirus Exposures Where Liquid Chemical
    Decontamination is not an Option"
    The American Industrial Hygiene Association.
    <URL:http://www.aiha.org/abs99/9pos3.html>

Although it is not recommended for paper materials to be subjected
to such temperatures, the heat method can be an attractive option
for dealing with potentially infectious materials.  Treatment with
heat allows the collection to be batch processed, rather than being
cleaned on an item level; it ensures that the virus will be inactive
after treatment by denaturing the virus' protein envelope; and it
requires the least amount of human exposure.

I have quite an extensive bibliography on hantavirus and the various
treatment methods if you are interested.

Lily Pregill
MLIS Student
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:73
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