Disinfection of human enteric viruses on fomites

The virucidal action of several commercially available disinfectant preparations was assayed against hepatitis A virus and human rotavirus dried on polystyrene. Overall, the level of virus disinfection achieved was very poor, usually inducing less than 3 log titre reduction. Suspension tests performed with the same disinfectants showed different virus inactivation rates, thus failing to provide a reliable indication of the actual virus disinfection on fomites. In our studies, bacteriophages of Bacteroides fragilis proved to be a simple, cheap and reliable screening tool for the evaluation of virus disinfection on non-porous surfaces. The same conclusion cannot be drawn for poliovirus.