Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was incubated with pyrene dodecanoic acid (P12), a fluorescent derivative of a medium-chain length fatty acid, and subjected to irradiation with a long wavelength ultra-violet light source at 366 nm (UVA). This inactivated the virus, resulting in a drastic decrease of its infectivity. The virus inactivation was proportional to the concentration of the pyrene-fatty acid, the length of exposure of the virus to P12 and the irradiation dose.