Virucidal Activity of World Health Organization-Recommended Formulations Against Enveloped Viruses, Including Zika, Ebola, and Emerging Coronaviruses

J Infect Dis. 2017 Mar 15;215(6):902-906. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix046.

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) published 2 alcohol-based formulations to be used in healthcare settings and for outbreak-associated infections, but inactivation efficacies of these products have not been determined against (re-)emerging viruses. In this study, we evaluated the virucidal activity of these WHO products in a comparative analysis. Zika virus (ZIKV), Ebola virus (EBOV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) as (re-)emerging viral pathogens and other enveloped viruses could be efficiently inactivated by both WHO formulations, implicating their use in healthcare systems and viral outbreak situations.

Keywords: Ebola virus; SARS; WHO; Zika virus; MERS.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Antisepsis / methods*
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control
  • Ebolavirus / drug effects*
  • Hand Hygiene / standards*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / drug effects*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Regression Analysis
  • Republic of Korea
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / prevention & control
  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / drug effects*
  • Virulence
  • World Health Organization
  • Zika Virus / drug effects*
  • Zika Virus Infection / prevention & control