[HealthTeacher (OP)]

Yup.....I am just trying to find out if using  a disinfectant is a waste of cleaner and time after a period of time....like a day or so?  Does it do anymore to the environmentally already inactive virus.  OCD situation.

[exothermic]

Yup.....I am just trying to find out if using  a disinfectant is a waste of cleaner and time after a period of time....like a day or so?  Does it do anymore to the environmentally already inactive virus.

Your student is just wasting disinfectant....

"using a disinfectant after that few-hour timeframe would serve little purpose"

"Once it's inactivated via environmental and/or external degradation.... there is no reactivating. Period."

[Atkhenaken]

HIV is an enveloped virus. This means that the core of the virus, which contains the genetic information, is wrapped up in an oily layer. Sticking out of this oily envelope are the "receptor" molecules that are used by the virus particle to attach to - and infect - target cells.

What is the oil made of?

The envelope is stable only in an aqueous (watery) environment. This means that while it is in blood the virus remains viable. But transferred to an external surface, which will dry out, the virus will also dry and the envelope will be disrupted. When this happens the receptors upon which it depends for infectivity will also be disrupted and hence the virus is incapable of infecting.

How does an oily virus gain access to an aqueous environment when oil and water don't mix?

At the same time, in the environment the virus is exposed to ultraviolet rays which chemically destroy the nucleic acid (RNA) that comprises the viral genomes (each particle has 2 copies of its genome). This mutates the virus out of existence, further reducing viability.

How can a virus which is dead by ultraviolet light can infect other people at the same time?

[Villi]

HIV is an enveloped virus. This means that the core of the virus, which contains the genetic information, is wrapped up in an oily layer. Sticking out of this oily envelope are the "receptor" molecules that are used by the virus particle to attach to - and infect - target cells.

What is the oil made of?

The envelope is stable only in an aqueous (watery) environment. This means that while it is in blood the virus remains viable. But transferred to an external surface, which will dry out, the virus will also dry and the envelope will be disrupted. When this happens the receptors upon which it depends for infectivity will also be disrupted and hence the virus is incapable of infecting.

How does an oily virus gain access to an aqueous environment when oil and water don't mix?

At the same time, in the environment the virus is exposed to ultraviolet rays which chemically destroy the nucleic acid (RNA) that comprises the viral genomes (each particle has 2 copies of its genome). This mutates the virus out of existence, further reducing viability.

How can a virus which is dead by ultraviolet light can infect other people at the same time?

The "oily" refers to fatty acids which are in a bilayer. The FAs have a hydrophillic head and hydrophobic tail, the tails touch one another. So the oil and water analogy makes it so that the pressures exerted in the aqueous environment keep the viral envelope intact. If a virus is dead by UV, if it's DNA/RNA is inactivated, its receptor proteins may still be activated and can insert the damaged DNA/RNA, which in most cases does nothing or some very rare things.

Disinfectant on very dirty surfaces may be effective for HIV cleaning. Biofilms caused by large amounts of bacteria may harbour viruses as well. Mucosal, phlegmy and bloody surfaces for example. So disinfectant to destroy the biofilm and virus is a good strategy. Otherwise, if the surface is relatively clean, like a lab bench, then that would be a waste. A good strategy may be to simply disinfect the surface before and after use. But once per day would probably be way more than enough because a surface exposed to regular air is unlikely to get HIV on it, unless you are in a hospital with bleeding HIV patients.

[Bored chemist]

HIV is an internal problem caused by bad diet, alcohol, drugs, lack of vitamins, sleep deprivation etc. Using external cleaning agents will be ineffective. Note - There are no viruses involved in HIV.

So, would you be content to be injected with a suspension of HIV?
Or are you not that sure of yourself?

[HealthTeacher (OP)]

Thanks for all of your responses! ( Most of them). I think he problem is more of an OCD problem than anything.  Her response to all the facts about the environmental deactivation was "it may be dead, but the virus is still there".  I think she believes that a disinfectant makes it disappear. (In her mind) OCD. 

[Colin2B]

OCD situation.

I don't want to divert this thread but just like to check that your student is receiving treatment. OCD is a very disruptive to a person's life but responds to treatment, the younger the person when diagnosed the better chance of improved life.

[Atkhenaken]

HIV is an internal problem caused by bad diet, alcohol, drugs, lack of vitamins, sleep deprivation etc. Using external cleaning agents will be ineffective. Note - There are no viruses involved in HIV.

So, would you be content to be injected with a suspension of HIV?
Or are you not that sure of yourself?

Injection is an unnatural process which doesn't occur in nature. Thus, injecting oneself with someone else's blood wouldn't be a good idea, especially if that person had a bad diet and their blood was dirty. Regardless, I would imagine that if you injected me with a small dose of virus, cancer or bacteria, that it would have no effect because my body system is clean and healthy and would destroy and eliminate any toxic substances very quickly.

[jeffreyH]

HIV is an internal problem caused by bad diet, alcohol, drugs, lack of vitamins, sleep deprivation etc. Using external cleaning agents will be ineffective. Note - There are no viruses involved in HIV.

So, would you be content to be injected with a suspension of HIV?
Or are you not that sure of yourself?

Injection is an unnatural process which doesn't occur in nature. Thus, injecting oneself with someone else's blood wouldn't be a good idea, especially if that person had a bad diet and their blood was dirty. Regardless, I would imagine that if you injected me with a small dose of virus, cancer or bacteria, that it would have no effect because my body system is clean and healthy and would destroy and eliminate any toxic substances very quickly.

You have all sorts of organisms living inside you. Otherwise you would likely be dead. Stop the nonsense.

[Colin2B]

Injection is an unnatural process which doesn't occur in nature.

I wish someone would tell that to the bee that stung me last week.
Also a quiet word to wasps, mosquitos, a large number of parasitic wasps, nettles, etc

[Bored chemist]

Injection is an unnatural process which doesn't occur in nature. Thus, injecting oneself with someone else's blood wouldn't be a good idea, especially if that person had a bad diet and their blood was dirty. Regardless, I would imagine that if you injected me with a small dose of virus, cancer or bacteria, that it would have no effect because my body system is clean and healthy and would destroy and eliminate any toxic substances very quickly.

As has been pointed out, injection (including the injection of microorganisms like malaria) is natural,  denying it is silly.

Also this "injecting oneself with someone else's blood " which is usually referred to as a blood transfusion is often life saving.
So the idea that it "wouldn't be a good idea," is nonsense.

Viruses, cancers and bacteria are not in traditional use of the phrase "toxic substances" so the rest of your post makes little sense.

More details of Atkhenaken's  mistaken  idea that viruses are not involved in sickness can be found here
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=68196.0

Atkhenaken
if you want to rehash that suggestion can you do it in that thread rather than cluttering up this one please?

[exothermic]

pictured: HIV-1 virions

1. Where do viruses go to when they are not infecting people?

Disney World

2. There is no description of what part of the body this is.

Once again,  that would be due to the fact that the pictured virions are budding from a [cultured] lymphocyte.

Do you understand what a culture is? Pick up a textbook genius.

3. There are no distinguishing features which tell us that these are HIV viruses.

I already answered your question. Your lack of comprehension is quite annoying. The pictured HIV-1 virions are merely in the early stage of morphogenesis. They haven't penetrated the plasma membrane, exited the nucleus and obtained a lipid bilayer envelope; they're not even mature or infectious at this stage. Any "distinguishing features" like the cone-shaped core characteristics appear following maturation; see figure 1 for reference.

Additionally, since color-enhanced models and/or photos of viruses seem to encourage your baseless comments.... I also included a non color-enhanced photo of a virus which you can share with other conspiracy theorists; see figure 2.

figure 1.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19460/figure/A289/?report=objectonly

figure 2.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8174/figure/A2262/?report=objectonly

4. How can you distinguish or know that a virus is budding or not budding?

By observing the virions crossing the plasma membrane and obtaining a lipid envelope. That's what retroviruses do genius.

5. How can something that requires the internal mechanisms of a cell to grow; suddenly grow, outside of a cell environment?

Be less vague if you'd like an answer.

6. There are no exterior receptor nodules which are apparent in the text (digital) diagrams.

What are you talking about? They're premature virions.