Effect of sucrose phosphate and sorbitol on infectivity of enveloped viruses during storage.

Cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster virus recovery from sucrose phosphate (0.2 M SP) and 70% sorbitol (sorbitol) was compared after storage at -70, 4, and 20 degrees C over time. Recovery from 0.2 M SP was uniformly better. More tissue culture infective doses and infectious foci were recovered in cell monolayers inoculated with 0.2 M SP virus stocks as compared with viruses stored in 70% sorbitol. Although both viruses were isolated from diluted fresh stocks (10(-1) through 10(-4], freezing diluted virus suspensions generally resulted in diminished recovery. Similar stabilizing effects on respiratory syncytial virus and herpes simplex virus type 1 infectivities were observed when stocks were preserved in 0.2 M SP, as compared with 70% sorbitol. Overall, 0.2 M SP was better than 70% sorbitol for stabilizing cytomegalovirus, varicella-zoster virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and herpes simplex virus type 1 infectivities under the conditions tested.