Smart Card Decontamination in a High-Containment Laboratory

Area of Science:

• Biosafety and Biosecurity
• Laboratory Decontamination
• Virology

Background:

• High-containment laboratories require validated decontamination procedures for biosafety and biorisk management.
• Personal identity verification (PIV) cards used in high-containment facilities necessitate disinfection before removal to maintain biosecurity.
• Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV) are select agents handled at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a disinfection procedure for PIV cards used in high-containment laboratories.
• To assess the efficacy of Virkon® S in inactivating FMDV and SVDV on PIV card surfaces.
• To ensure the integrity of biosafety protocols at PIADC for PIV card decontamination.

Main Methods:

• A modified quantitative carrier test was employed to evaluate PIV card disinfection.
• PIV cards were intentionally contaminated with high concentrations of dried FMDV and SVDV, including an organic soil load.
• Disinfection was performed using a 5-day-old, 1% Virkon® S solution prepared in hard water, simulating a worst-case scenario.

Main Results:

• Virkon® S demonstrated complete inactivation of FMDV dried on PIV card surfaces within 30 seconds.
• Complete inactivation of SVDV dried on PIV card surfaces was achieved within 60 seconds using the same disinfectant solution.
• The study confirmed the effectiveness of Virkon® S against these viruses under challenging conditions.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully validated a rapid and effective disinfection method for PIV cards at PIADC.
• Virkon® S is a suitable disinfectant for inactivating FMDV and SVDV on PIV cards, supporting biosafety protocols.
• The findings contribute to maintaining biosecurity by ensuring contaminated smart cards are safely decontaminated before leaving high-containment areas.