The effects of Cohn-Oncley cold alcohol fractionation on infectivity of two prototype retroviruses, mouse xenotropic type C and the LAV strain of AIDS retrovirus result in a significant reduction in retrovirus titer. At least a 100,000-fold reduction of LAV was obtained when fractionating plasma to fraction II. Adjustment to pH 4.0 at filtrate III was as effective for viral inactivation as was precipitation of fraction II from filtrate III with 25% ethanol. Liquid immunoglobulin preparations spiked with LAV and incubated at 27 DEG C for 3 days resulted in an additional 1,000 - 10,000-fold reduction of LAV titer. Our results support the clinical and epidemiological evidence that therapeutic immunoglobulin preparations prepared by Cohn-Oncley cold ethanol processing (at least about 18% v/v alcohol, pH @/=@ 5.4) and then stored at a pH equal to or less than about 5.4 and a temperature of at least 27 DEG C for at least 3 days, do not transmit retroviruses such as the LAV strain of the AIDS virus. Similar fractionation followed by storage at a higher pH (6.8) followed by a storage at a higher temperature (45 DEG C) for at least 8 hours also appears effective in avoiding transmission of the retroviruses.
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