New proof-of-concept in viral inactivation: virucidal efficacy of 405 nm light against feline calicivirus as a model for norovirus decontamination

Tomb, R. M., Maclean, M., Coia, J. E., Graham, E., McDonald, M. , Atreya, C. D., MacGregor, S. J. and Anderson, J. G. (2017) New proof-of-concept in viral inactivation: virucidal efficacy of 405 nm light against feline calicivirus as a model for norovirus decontamination. Food and Environmental Virology, 9(2), pp. 159-167. (doi: 10.1007/s12560-016-9275-z) (PMID:28040848)

Abstract

The requirement for novel decontamination technologies for use in hospitals is ever present. One such system uses 405 nm visible light to inactivate microorganisms via ROS-generated oxidative damage. Although effective for bacterial and fungal inactivation, little is known about the virucidal effects of 405 nm light. Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreaks often occur in the clinical setting, and this study was designed to investigate potential inactivation effects of 405 nm light on the NoV surrogate, feline calicivirus (FCV). FCV was exposed to 405 nm light whilst suspended in minimal and organically-rich media to establish the virucidal efficacy and the effect biologically-relevant material may play in viral susceptibility. Antiviral activity was successfully demonstrated with a 4 Log10 (99.99%) reduction in infectivity when suspended in minimal media evident after a dose of 2.8 kJ cm−2. FCV exposed in artificial faeces, artificial saliva, blood plasma and other organically rich media exhibited an equivalent level of inactivation using between 50–85% less dose of the light, indicating enhanced inactivation when the virus is present in organically-rich biologically-relevant media. Further research in this area could aid in the development of 405 nm light technology for effective NoV decontamination within the hospital environment.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: R.M.T. was supported by the Scottish Infection Research Network and Chief Scientist Office through a Doctoral Fellowship Award [CSO Reference: SIRN/DTF/13/02]. Part of this work was also supported by US FDA funding to C.D.A., with experimental work conducted at ROLEST through a collaborative research contract [Reference: HHSF223201410188A and 140787, respectively].
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McDonald, Mr Mike and Coia, Dr John and Graham, Dr Libby
• Authors: Tomb, R. M., Maclean, M., Coia, J. E., Graham, E., McDonald, M., Atreya, C. D., MacGregor, S. J., and Anderson, J. G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Food and Environmental Virology
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1867-0334
• ISSN (Online): 1867-0342
• Published Online: 31 December 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Food and Environmental Virology 9(2): 159-167
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license