Thermal stability of foot-and-mouth disease virus.

The thermal stabilities of 146S component of seven strains of foot-and-mouth disease virus were found to differ considerably. Inactivation of infectivity with acetylethyleneimine (AEI) reduced the thermal stabilities of all but one of the viruses. Treatment of AEI inactivated and control virus preparations with glutaraldehyde stabilized 146S particles to a considerable extent, whereas treatment with dimethyl suberimidate was less effective. In similar experiments with 75S, natural empty particles, the thermal stabilities were lower than those of the corresponding 146 S particles. Treatment of 75S particles with AEI appeared to have no direct effect on the protein-protein interactions involved in 75S capsid integrity. As with 146S particles, glutaraldehyde stabilized 75S particles.