Title
Inactivation strategies for SARS-CoV-2 on surgical masks using light-activated chemical dyes
Date Issued
01 August 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Kabra K.B.
Lendvay T.S.
Chen J.
Rolley P.
Dawson T.
The George Washington University
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Inc.
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 and methods: 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 (∼93-99%) 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.
Start page
844
End page
848
Volume
50
Issue
8
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Biotecnología relacionada con la salud Epidemiología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85134712485
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Infection Control
ISSN of the container
01966553
Sponsor(s)
Funding/support: T. Lendvay: WHO grant funding, Singletto equity owner, CMO, P/T salary support; J. Chen: Singletto Inc. shareholder; P. Rolley: Singletto Inc. stock options, consulting fees, pending patents; T. Dawson: Revolution One Board Member, CEO, stockholder; C. Mores: WHO grant funding. Open access of this article is sponsored by the World Health Organization. We would like to thank Dr. Belinda Heyne for providing technical expertise for this project. We also thank Ms. Sarah Tritsch and Ms. Abigail Porzucek for critical assistance with data analysis and manuscript revision. We also acknowledge that funds for the project were provided by WHO based on a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus