Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate
surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents.
2020 Feb 6.
Currently, the emergence of a novel human
coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has become a global health concern causing severe
respiratory tract infections in humans. Human-to-human transmissions have been
described with incubation times between 2-10 days, facilitating its spread via
droplets, contaminated hands or surfaces. We therefore reviewed the literature
on all available information about the persistence of human and veterinary
coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces as well as inactivation strategies with
biocidal agents used for chemical disinfection, e.g. in healthcare facilities.
The analysis of 22 studies reveals that human coronaviruses such as Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS) coronavirus or endemic human coronaviruses (HCoV) can persist on
inanimate surfaces like metal, glass or plastic for up to 9 days, but can be
efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 62-71% ethanol,
0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute. Other
biocidal agents such as 0.05-0.2% benzalkonium chloride or 0.02% chlorhexidine
digluconate are less effective. As no specific therapies are available for
SARS-CoV-2, early containment and prevention of further spread will be crucial
to stop the ongoing outbreak and to control this novel infectious thread.
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