Enhanced Thermotolerance Increases Resistance of Viruses

(Eawag, September 18, 2020)

According to a recent study conducted by a team of researchers led by Tamar Kohn and Anna Carratalà Ripollès from EPFL, including Tim Julian from Eawag, viruses appear to becoming more resistant, not only to environmental conditions but also to disinfectants, such as chlorine. In order to come to this conclusion, the researchers experimentally adapted a human enterovirus, which can cause infections such as a cold or polio, to four climate regimes, before exposing the virus populations to heat, simulated sunlight and microbes. The findings revealed that temperature was the main driver of adaptation, leading the researchers to hypothesize that global warming could cause viruses to evolve, rendering them less susceptible to inactivation by heat, sunshine and microbes, as well as other disinfectants, such as chlorine.