Quantitative Efficacy of Common Virucidal Disinfectants Against Viral Surrogates on Porous and Nonporous Surfaces

The objectives of this effort were threefold: (a) compare Ebola virus (EBOV) with a potential surrogate, the enveloped vaccinia virus (VACV), for susceptibility to disinfectants; (b) generate efficacy data for five U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered virucidal chemicals and one experimental disinfectant, 5 percent vinegar, against VACV; and (c) compare the efficacy of three chemicals against Phi 6 (a bacteriophage surrogate for EBOV) and VACV. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) method was adopted for efficacy evaluations. Of the three test viruses, VACV was found be the most persistent virus. Of six disinfectants, Peridox disinfectant (Contec; Spartanburg, SC) was most effective against all three viruses. Bioxy-S sanitizer (Atomes, Inc.; Quebec, Canada) was effective against all three viruses. The other four disinfectants were not very effective against VACV. Peridox disinfectant, 0.2 percent peracetic acid (PAA), and 0.5 percent bleach were effective against Phi 6 in the absence of blood. In the presence of blood (dried and wet), both Peridox disinfectant and PAA were equally effective against Phi 6. VACV is recommended as a potential surrogate for EBOV. More importantly, this study highlights that the DoD must generate its own database on efficacy of disinfectants for military surfaces to select effective chemicals in the event of a pandemic resulting from an infectious virus.