Differences in Viral Disinfection Mechanisms as Revealed by Quantitative Transfection of Echovirus 11 Genomes

This study provides a new tool for assessing virus inactivation mechanisms by directly measuring a viral genome’s ability to produce new viruses after disinfection. In addition, we identify a potential pitfall of PCR for determining virus genome damage, which does not reflect whether a genome is truly functional. The results presented here using quantitative transfection corroborate previously suggested virus inactivation mechanisms for some virus inactivation methods (heat) while bringing additional insights for others (ozone, FC, and UV254 ). The developed transfection method provides a more mechanistic approach for the assessment of actual virus inactivation by common water disinfectants.