The Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) is an emerging public health threat, with the number of reported cases in the US increasing in recent years. EEEV is a BSL3 pathogen, and the North American strain is a US Federal Select Agent (SA). These restrictions make experiments with EEEV difficult to perform, as high-tech equipment is often unavailable in BSL3 spaces and due to concerns about generating aerosols during manipulations. Therefore, a range of inactivation methods suitable for different downstream analysis methods are essential for advancing research on EEEV. We used heat, chemical, and ultraviolet (UV)-based methods for the inactivation of infected cells and supernatants infected with the non-select agent Madariaga virus (MADV). Although the MADV and EEEV strains are genetically distinct, differing by 8-11% at the amino acid level, they are expected to be similarly susceptible to various inactivation methods. We determined the following to be effective methods of inactivation: heat, TRIzol LS, 4% PFA, 10% formalin, and UV radiation for infected supernatants; TRIzol, 2.5% SDS with BME, 0.2% NP40, 4% PFA, and 10% formalin for infected cells. Our results have the potential to expand the types and complexity of experiments and analyses performed by EEEV researchers.
Keywords: Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus; Madariaga; Select Agent; inactivation; protocol.