Treatment with dry hydrogen peroxide accelerates the decay of severe acute syndrome coronavirus-2 on non-porous hard surfaces.

BACKGROUND: Disinfection of contaminated or potentially contaminated surfaces has become an integral part of the mitigation strategies for controlling coronavirus disease 2019. Whilst a broad range of disinfectants are effective in inactivating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), application of disinfectants has a low throughput in areas that receive treatments. Disinfection of large surface areas often involves the use of reactive microbiocidal materials, including ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, chlorine dioxide, and hydrogen peroxide vapor. Albeit these methods are highly effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2, the deployment of these approaches creates unacceptable health hazards and precludes the treatment of occupied indoor spaces using existing disinfection technologies. In this study, the feasibility of using dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 on contaminated surfaces in large indoor spaces was evaluated. METHODS: Glass slides were inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and treated with DHP between 5 and 25 ppb for up to 24 hours. Residual infectious virus samples were eluted from three replicates at each time point and titrated in African green monkey VeroE6 cells. RESULTS: In comparison with the observed relatively high stability of SARS-CoV-2 on contaminated glass slides (control group), residual infectious titers of glass slides inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 were significantly reduced after receiving 120 minutes of DHP treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The accelerated decay of SARS-CoV-2 on contaminated glass slides suggests that treatment with DHP can be an effective surface disinfection method for occupied indoor spaces.

A review of strategies to impact swine feed biosecurity.

Global pork production has largely adopted on-farm biosecurity to minimize vectors of disease transmission and protect swine health. Feed and ingredients were not originally thought to be substantial vectors, but recent incidents have demonstrated their ability to harbor disease. The objective of this paper is to review the potential role of swine feed as a disease vector and describe biosecurity measures that have been evaluated as a way of maintaining swine health. Recent research has demonstrated that viruses such as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and African Swine Fever Virus can survive conditions of transboundary shipment in soybean meal, lysine, and complete feed, and contaminated feed can cause animal illness. Recent research has focused on potential methods of preventing feed-based pathogens from infecting pigs, including prevention of entry to the feed system, mitigation by thermal processing, or decontamination by chemical additives. Strategies have been designed to understand the spread of pathogens throughout the feed manufacturing environment, including potential batch-to-batch carryover, thus reducing transmission risk. In summary, the focus on feed biosecurity in recent years is warranted, but additional research is needed to further understand the risk and identify cost-effective approaches to maintain feed biosecurity as a way of protecting swine health.