Concentration of infectious SARS-CoV-2 by polyethylene glycol precipitation.

Concentration of infectious SARS-CoV-2 by polyethylene glycol precipitation.
J Virol Methods. 2020 Sep 23;:113977
Authors: Alexander MR, Rootes CL, van Vuren PJ, Stewart CR
Abstract
The development of medical countermeasures against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires robust viral assays. Here we have adapted a protocol for polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated precipitation of SARS-CoV-2 stocks without the need for ultracentrifugation. Virus precipitation resulted in a ∼1.5 log10 increase in SARS-CoV-2 titres of virus prepared in VeroE6 cells and enabled the infection of several immortalized human cell lines (Caco-2 and Calu-3) at a high multiplicity of infection not practically achievable without virus concentration. This protocol underscores the utility of PEG-mediated precipitation for SARS-CoV-2 and provides a resource for a range of coronavirus research areas.
PMID: 32979405 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Journal of Virological Methods - September 22, 2020 Category: Virology Authors: Alexander MR, Rootes CL, van Vuren PJ, Stewart CR Tags: J Virol Methods Source Type: research