Virus inactivation by grapes and wines

Abstract

Infusions and extracts of different grapes inactivated poliovirus; agents responsible for this property resided in the skin of the grape. Commercial grape juice at both natural and neutral pH inactivated various enteric viruses and herpes simplex virus; a 1,000 fold reduction in poliovirus infectivity occurred after incubation with grape juice, pH 7.0, for 24 hr at 4°C. A variety of wines were antiviral but to a lesser extent than grape juice; red wines were more antiviral than white. Antiviral activity was demonstrable in fractions of grape juice varying in mol wt from <1,000 to >30,000 as determined by membrane filtration. Some restoration of poliovirus infectivity from virus grape juice complexes was achieved with 1% gelatin, 0.1% Tween 80, 0.5% polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and 0.5% polyethylene glycol.