TABLE 1.

Inactivation of HIV in control medium and genital fluids by soap and water

Exposure mediuma	Exposure time (min)	Decreased infectivity (fold)b
		Control medium	CVL	CVL and SF
Control medium	2
	6
Water	2	10	0	3
	6	0	10	0
Soap and water (1 g/1,000 ml)	2	>1,000	>1,000	0
	6	>1,000	>1,000	0

^aVirus (HIV-1_SF33 at 1,275 50% tissue culture infective doses) in control medium or genital fluids was exposed to a soap and water solution (1 g/1,000 ml), tap water alone, or control medium. Serial 10-fold dilutions were made and used to infect PBMCs.

^bInfectivity was defined as the maximum dilution at which a productive infection could be detected based on the RT assay. The decreased infectivity (n-fold) is the ratio of the infectivity of the virus exposed to soap and water or water alone to that of the virus exposed to the control medium. Results reported are based on averages of results from two to three experiments.