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Interruption of rotavirus spread through chemical disinfection
S A Sattar1, H Jacobsen, H Rahman
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Introduction:
Rotaviruses, which are among the most important infectious causes of acute diarrhea, frequently cause outbreaks in hospitals, daycare centers, schools, and nursing homes. These viruses can remain viable on inanimate surfaces for many days and infectious rotavirus particles have been recovered from hands and a variety of surfaces and objects. Casual contact can lead to the transfer of these viruses from contaminated to clean surfaces. Therefore, animate and inanimate surfaces may play a complementary role in the spread of these viruses.
Objective:
In this study, we compared the capacity of a disinfectant spray (0.1% o-phenylphenol and 79% ethanol), a domestic bleach (6% sodium hypochlorite diluted to give 800 ppm free chlorine), a quarternary ammonium (quat)-based product (7.05% quat diluted 1:128 in tap water), and a phenol-based product (14.7% phenol diluted 1:256 in tap water) to interrupt the transfer of a human rotavirus (DS-1) from stainless steel disks to fingerpads of volunteers with a 10-second contact at a pressure of 1 kg/cm2.
Design:
Each disk received a 10 microL inoculum containing 1.0 x 10(4) to 7.0 x 10(4) plaque-forming units (PFU) of the virus suspended in 10% feces. The inoculum was dried for 1 hour and overlaid with 20 microL of either tap water or the test product.
Results:
A 10-minute exposure to tap water reduced the virus titer by 52.3% +/- 11.7%. The disinfectant spray was able to reduce virus infectivity by > 99.99% after a contact of 3 to 10 minutes. The loss in virus infectivity after a 10-minute treatment with the quat was almost the same (54.7% +/- 17.8%) as seen with tap water. The activities of the bleach and the phenolic were very similar with losses in PFU of 97.9% +/- 0.4% and 95% +/- 5.36%, respectively. No detectable virus was transferred to fingerpads from disks treated with disinfectant spray, the bleach, and the phenolic. Contact of the fingerpads with tap water- or quat-treated disks resulted in the transfer of 5.6% +/- 1.1% and 7.6% +/- 2.5% of the remaining infectious virus, respectively.
Conclusion:
These findings emphasize the care needed in the selection of environmental surface disinfectants in preventing the spread of rotaviral infections.
Insights
A disinfectant spray, bleach, and phenolic product effectively prevented rotavirus transfer from surfaces. Tap water and a quat-based product showed minimal impact on rotavirus transmission, highlighting the importance of proper disinfectant selection.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Infectious disease transmission
- Disinfection science
Background:
- Rotaviruses are a major cause of infectious diarrhea, frequently causing outbreaks in communal settings.
- These viruses remain viable on surfaces for extended periods, facilitating transmission through casual contact.
- Both animate and inanimate surfaces play a role in the spread of rotavirus infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of various disinfectants in preventing rotavirus transfer from contaminated surfaces.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a disinfectant spray, bleach, a quaternary ammonium product, and a phenolic product.
- To assess the role of environmental surfaces in rotavirus transmission dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Human rotavirus (DS-1) was dried onto stainless steel disks.
- Disks were treated with tap water or test disinfectants (disinfectant spray, bleach, quaternary ammonium, phenolic).
- Virus transfer to volunteer fingerpads was measured after a standardized contact time and pressure.
Main Results:
- Disinfectant spray, bleach, and phenolic product significantly reduced rotavirus infectivity (>95%) and prevented detectable transfer to fingerpads.
- Tap water and quaternary ammonium product showed minimal reduction in virus titer (around 55%) and allowed significant virus transfer.
- Disinfectant spray demonstrated >99.99% reduction in virus infectivity within 3-10 minutes.
Conclusions:
- The selection of appropriate environmental surface disinfectants is crucial for preventing rotavirus spread.
- Disinfectant spray, bleach, and phenolic products are effective in interrupting rotavirus transmission.
- Quaternary ammonium products and tap water are less effective in preventing rotavirus transfer from surfaces.