soma at news.dorsai.org (*selah*) wrote:
>>Would someone be able to say what the minimum temperature required is to
>produce complete sterilization of all viruses?
>>Thanks.
>
Your question is incomplete since sterilization by this method is
dependant not only on the temperature involved but also the duration of
application, the initial viral load, presence of other materials,
pressure etc
In general the higher the temperature the less time it has to be applied
for.Boiling (100C) will do the job but will take some time to be
completely effective, increase the pressure as in an autoclave and the
temperature can be increased and the treatment time reduced to say 20
minutes for a heavy viral load in the presence of significant amounts of
material.
Without further information about your requirement, conditions etc no one
would be able to offer you a safe minimum which would apply at all times
to all viruses!
Any lethal temperature applied for long enough will eventually kill all
viruses. An idea would be that 100C would be the minimum since boiling is
highly reproducible (at most altitudes). The length of time that you
would have to apply this though is another matter.
--
Keith Appleyard BSc, Senior Scientific Officer, Virology
Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY,
U.K, e-mail k.appleyard at dundee.ac.uk
Tel: U.K 01382 632559 Fax: U.K 01382 641907
