Cheddar Cheese as a Vehicle for Viruses

Abstract

Cheddar cheese was evaluated as a vehicle for viruses. Of poliovirus type 1, 98% and essentially 100% of influenza virus type A and of vesicular stomatitis virus were lost during cheddar cheesemaking on a laboratory scale. The poliovirus was persistent in cheese during aging but was inactivated a million-fold by minimal prior heat treatment of milk for cheese. Cheddar cheese does not seem more likely than other foods to transmit viruses. © 1973, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.