Virus inactivation during production of intravenous immunoglobulin.

The effect of pepsin treatment at pH 4 on the infectivity of several enveloped viruses was assessed under the conditions used during the production of intravenous immunoglobulins. It was shown that the prototypes of four virus families--human immunodeficiency virus (Lentivirinae), herpes simplex virus type 1 and human cytomegalovirus (Herpesviridae), Semliki Forest virus (Togaviridae), and vesicular stomatitis virus (Rhabdoviridae)--were inactivated by this procedure. With vesicular stomatitis virus as a model, the contributions of both low pH and pepsin were demonstrated, and pepsin had a synergistic or additive action.