Numerous field studies have been conducted in an effort to determine the efficacy of vitamin C treatment in preventing or alleviating symptoms of the common cold. The results have been equivocal mainly because the studies were usually though not always retrospective and depended on many subjective interpretations (1-5). Another and perhaps more objective approach to the problem is to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on rhinovirus replication at the cellular level under conditions which can be controlled. To date, there have been limited attempts in this direction (6).Preliminary tests in this laboratory suggest that ascorbic acid significantly inhibits rhinovirus replication in human diploid cells. Variables such as the concentration of ascorbic acid and its toxicity for human diploid cells, the thermal inactivation of rhinovirus in the presence of ascorbic acid, and the multiplicity of infection were considered in the design of experiments. Standardization and control of these variables was necessary before the effect of ascorbic acid on rhinovirus replication in diploid cells as demonstrated by one-step and multistep growth curves could be evaluated.

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