Abstract
<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> We believe that a certain amount of comment and clarification are in order regarding the QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS exchange between Drs. Warrens and Abbott (229: 579, 1974). Dr. Warrens's inquiry as to the best chemical means of disinfecting blood spills from potential carriers of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a question of much practical importance and, in turn, gives rise to a second question of an applied nature, which will be mentioned later. First, it should be pointed out that to "kill the virus of hepatitis B," one does not have to "kill the antigen" (hepatitis B surface antigen [HB<sub>s</sub>Ag]). This is merely a matter of semantics, but Krugman and Giles<sup>1</sup>and Lo-Grippo et al (187:722, 1964) have shown that the inactivation kinetics of the infective particle and the associated surface antigen are not equal when exposed to physical or chemical disinfecting agents, ie,
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
