Inactivation strategies for SARS-CoV-2 on surgical masks using light-activated chemical dyes.
Am J Infect Control
; 50(8): 844-848, 2022 08.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2000226
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Methylene blue (MB) and riboflavin (RB) are light-activated dyes with demonstrated antimicrobial activity. They require no specialized equipment, making them attractive for widespread use. Due to COVID-19-related worldwide shortages of surgical masks, simple, safe, and effective decontamination methods for reusing masks have become desirable in clinical and public settings. MATERIAL ANDMETHODS:
We examined the decontamination of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant on surgical masks and Revolution-Zero Environmentally Sustainable (RZES) reusable masks using these photoactivated dyes. We pre-treated surgical masks with 2 MB concentrations, 2 RB concentrations, and 2 combinations of MB and RB. We also tested 7 MB concentrations on RZES masks.RESULTS:
Photoactivated MB consistently inactivated SARS-CoV-2 at >99.9% for concentrations of 2.6 µM or higher within 30 min on RZES masks and 5 µM or higher within 5 min on disposable surgical masks. RB alone showed a lower, yet still significant inactivation (â¼93-99%) in these conditions.DISCUSSION:
MB represents a cost-effective, rapid, and widely deployable decontamination method for SARS-CoV-2. The simplicity of MB formulation makes it ideal for mask pre-treatment in low-resource settings.CONCLUSIONS:
The results demonstrate that MB effectively decontaminates SARS-CoV-2 at concentrations above 5 µM on surgical masks and above 10 µM on RZES masks.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Topics:
Variants
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Infect Control
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.ajic.2022.03.015
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