5 ms·

Question for those with knowledge -- would a 60-ish year old sample still be virulent/communicable/whatever?

• timr 12y ago
  Possible, but not incredibly likely unless it was prepared via freeze-drying for long-term storage. I wouldn't want to huff it, though.
  • tjohns 12y ago
    "They were freeze-dried, intact and sealed, forgotten and packed away in a cardboard box, officials said." http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-smallpox-20140708-story.html http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-smallpox...
    • timr 12y ago
      Yeah, so that's a bit scarier. Lyophilized samples are fairly shelf-stable. There's a much better chance they'd be infectious.
• mikeyouse 12y ago
  It's pretty unlikely that it would be communicable after such a long period without being specifically preserved under controlled conditions. Live viral vaccines are typically shipped in a preservative and kept on dry ice during transit after which they are kept in a freezer until immediately before administration. This is one of the reasons it's so difficult to vaccinate large swaths of underdeveloped areas. I can't imagine a vial in a closet could maintain a culture 'on accident' for more than a few months.