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. 2021 Mar;3(1):100111.
doi: 10.1016/j.infpip.2020.100111. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

The use of germicidal ultraviolet light, vaporised hydrogen peroxide and dry heat to decontaminate face masks and filtering respirators contaminated with an infectious norovirus

Constance Wielick  1 , Louisa F Ludwig-Begall  1 , Lorène Dams  1 , Ravo M Razafimahefa  1 , Pierre-Francois Demeuldre  2 , Aurore Napp  2 , Jan Laperre  3 , Olivier Jolois  3 , Frédéric Farnir  4 , Eric Haubruge  5 , Etienne Thiry  1
Affiliations

The use of germicidal ultraviolet light, vaporised hydrogen peroxide and dry heat to decontaminate face masks and filtering respirators contaminated with an infectious norovirus

Constance Wielick et al. Infect Prev Pract. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

In the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, reuse of surgical masks and filtering facepiece respirators has been recommended. Their reuse necessitates procedures to inactivate contaminating human respiratory and oral pathogens. We previously demonstrated decontamination of masks and respirators contaminated with an infectious SARS-CoV-2 surrogate via ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, vaporised hydrogen peroxide, and use of dry heat. Here, we show that these same methods efficiently inactivate a more resistant, non-enveloped oral virus; decontamination of infectious murine norovirus-contaminated masks and respirators reduced viral titres by over four orders of magnitude on mask or respirator coupons.

Keywords: Decontamination (UV, H2O2, dry heat); FFR, filtering facepiece respirator; MuNoV, murine norovirus; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SM, surgical mask; norovirus; respirator; surgical mask.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Recovery of MuNoV after elution from inoculated, untreated surgical masks and filtering facepiece respirators. Recovery of infectious murine norovirus (MuNoV) from inoculated untreated surgical masks (SM) and filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) was analysed in RAW 264.7 cells. The cell culture limit of detection (LOD) was 0.8 log10 TCID50/mL. Similar levels of virus recovery were detected for left, right and middle (L, R, M) coupons of masks and respirators; recovery efficacy of infectious virus from straps (S) deviated significantly in all analyses from the mean of all coupons (with the exception of extraction from SM straps in the H2O2 assay). Statistical analyses were performed using SAS® software 9.3 (SAS/ETS 12.1 - SAS STAT 12.1). Linear mixed models were studied using the MIXED procedure; in addition, TOBIT models were implemented using the qualitative and limited dependent variable model (QLIM) procedure. All p-values reported using the QLIM procedure were obtained using Wald tests. P-values were computed to calculate differences between individual coupon values and differences between mean values of all coupons and straps: ∗∗∗P<0.001, ∗∗P<0.01, ∗P<0.05, and ns is P≥0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of three decontaminating treatments on MuNoV-inoculated surgical mask- and filtering facepiece respirator coupons and straps. The infectivity of murine norovirus (MuNoV) recovered from surgical masks (SM) and filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) decontaminated via exposure to ultraviolet light (UV), vaporised hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), or dry heat treatment was analysed in RAW 264.7 cells. The cell culture limit of detection (LOD) was 0.8 log10 TCID50/ml for all analyses except those concerning H2O2-treated SM or FFR straps (1.8 and 2.8 log10 TCID50/ml, respectively) and UV-treated FFR straps (1.8 log10 TCID50/ml). Per decontamination method, nine MuNoV-inoculated, decontaminated coupons (n=9) and three inoculated, decontaminated straps (n=3) were analysed in parallel to inoculated, untreated, positive control coupons (n=9) and straps (n=3). Statistical analyses were performed using SAS® software 9.3 (SAS/ETS 12.1 - SAS STAT 12.1). Linear mixed models were studied using the MIXED procedure; in addition, TOBIT models were implemented using the qualitative and limited dependent variable model (QLIM) procedure. All p-values reported using the QLIM procedure were obtained using Wald tests; ∗∗∗∗P<0.0001; ∗∗∗P<0.001, ∗∗P<0.01, ∗P<0.05, and ns is P≥0.05.
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