Characterization of inactivation of myxoviruses and paramyxoviruses by hydroxylamine, N-methylhydroxylamine and O-methylhydroxylamine.

A study of the mechanism of myxovirus and paramyxovirus inactivattion by hydroxylamine, O-methylhydroxylamine and N-methylhydroxylamine was conducted. Influenza A (WSN) was used as the sensitive myxovirus and Newcastle disease virus (NDV-L) was used as the relatively resistant paramyxovirus in certain experiments. Inactivation was found to be rapid (15 minutes) and mose effective at high concentrations (2M). All three compounds significantly decreased the hemagglutination titer of WSN treated at pH smaller than or equal to 5.0. There was no detectable change in NDV hemagglutination titer. Adsorption of hydroxylamine (pH 7.0) inactivated WSN appeared normal; however, the rate of adsorption was decreased when virus was inactivated by (pH 5.0) O-methylhydroxylamine. Equilibrium density gradient centrifugation in potassium tartrate showed no density changes in inactivated virus. WSN inactivated virus. WSN inactivated with 14C-O-methylhydroxylamine and subjected to RNA extraction showed greater than or equal to 35 percent of the 14C in the phenol phases and 21 per cent in the RNA. The 14C-O-methylhydroxylamine associated with the RNA of insensitive NDV was about 3 per cent of that associated with sensitive WSN-RNA. Hydroxylamine has no apparent effect on paramyxovirus (NDV) hemagglutination titer and less 14C-O-methylhydroxylamine is associated with the RNA of this virus. The results suggest these compounds may affect both the RNA and the envelope portion of myxoviruses (WSN) to produce inactivation.