The specific shelf life of virus preservation solution should be distinguished between different types of preservation solutions. Usually before sampling, virus preservation solution, whether inactivated or non-inactivated, can be stored at room temperature for six months or even a year, but after sampling the preservation time is very short. This is because the preservation time does not depend on the quality of the preservation solution, but on the characteristics of the virus or nucleic acid itself.
Bioviruses are tiny organisms, much smaller than fungi or bacteria, that must parasitize and proliferate by replication in living cells, and are non-cellular organisms. Therefore, whether inactivated or non-inactivated, the virus can only survive for a short time after sampling. Without virus preservation solution, the virus will degrade substantially in vitro within a few minutes. The sampling tube is mainly used for virus nucleic acid detection, so although the inactivated preservation solution makes the virus lysis, but the RNA enzyme inhibitor added inside can protect its nucleic acid, the experiment as long as the nucleic acid can be detected to make a diagnosis.
Another important factor that affects the preservation time of viruses is the temperature. Generally, inactivated solutions are stored at 4 degrees Celsius for one week, -20 degrees Celsius for one month, and -80 degrees Celsius for one year because they only need to protect the nucleic acid from degradation. If the non-inactivated preservation solution cannot be tested in time after sampling, it must be stored at 4 degrees Celsius for no more than 48 hours, and if it cannot be sent to the testing site in time, it needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius or below.
