Inactivation of influenza A virus H1N1 by disinfection process
published online 29 April 2010.
Background
Because any patient, health care worker, or visitor is capable of transmitting influenza to susceptible persons within hospitals, hospital-acquired influenza has been a clinical concern. Disinfection and cleaning of medical equipment, surgical instruments, and hospital environment are important measures to prevent transmission of influenza virus from hospitals to individuals. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of disinfection processes, which can be easily operated at hospitals, in inactivating influenza A virus H1N1 (H1N1).
Methods
The effects of 0.1 mol/L NaOH, 70% ethanol, 70% 1-propanol, solvent/detergent (S/D) using 0.3% tri (n-butyl)-phosphate and 1.0% Triton X-100, heat, and ethylene oxide (EO) treatments in inactivating H1N1 were determined. Inactivation of H1N1 was kinetically determined by the treatment of disinfectants to virus solution. Also, a surface test method, which involved drying an amount of virus on a surface and then applying the inactivation methods for 1 minute of contact time, was used to determine the virucidal activity.
Results
H1N1 was completely inactivated to undetectable levels in 1 minute of 70% ethanol, 70% 1-propanol, and solvent/detergent treatments in the surface tests as well as in the suspension tests. H1N1 was completely inactivated in 1 minute of 0.1 mol/L NaOH treatment in the suspension tests and also effectively inactivated in the surface tests with the log reduction factor of 3.7. H1N1 was inactivated to undetectable levels within 5 minutes, 2.5 minutes, and 1 minute of heat treatment at 70, 80, and 90°C, respectively in the suspension tests. Also, H1N1 was completely inactivated by EO treatment in the surface tests.
Conclusion
Common disinfectants, heat, and EO tested in this study were effective at inactivating H1N1. These results would be helpful in implementing effective disinfecting measures to prevent hospital-acquired infections.
Department of Biological Sciences, Hannam University, Daejeon, South Korea
Address correspondence to In Seop Kim, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Hannam University, Daejeon 305-811, South Korea.
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Supported by the Ministry of Education, Science Technology (MEST) and Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) through the Human Resources Training Project for Regional Innovation and by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and Korea Industrial Technology Foundation (KOTEF) through the Human Resource Training Project for Strategic Technology.
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