Enveloped and non-enveloped virus survival on microfiber towels

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Materials Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Handwashing is crucial for disease prevention, but access to soap and water is limited in some regions.
• Antimicrobial towels like the Supertowel are explored as alternatives, but their efficacy against viruses is not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the viral inactivation performance of the Supertowel's antimicrobial treatment.
• To inform the use of antimicrobial towels as viable handwashing alternatives in low-resource settings.

Main Methods:

• Two bacteriophages (enveloped Phi6, non-enveloped MS2) were used to seed Supertowels and regular microfiber towels.
• Viral concentrations were monitored over 24 hours to determine decay rate constants.
• The influence of temperature, humidity, towel wetness/dryness, and virus type on decay rates was assessed.

Main Results:

• Towel type and humidity did not significantly affect viral decay rates.
• Temperature, towel condition (wet/dry), and virus type (enveloped/non-enveloped) significantly impacted viral decay.
• Higher temperatures, dry towels, and enveloped viruses accelerated viral inactivation.

Conclusions:

• The antimicrobial treatment on the Supertowel demonstrated minimal virucidal potential.
• Virus inactivation on the Supertowel was comparable to that on a standard microfiber towel.
• The Supertowel's antimicrobial properties offer limited advantage for virus inactivation compared to regular towels.