Major articleA pandemic influenza preparedness study: Use of energetic methods to decontaminate filtering facepiece respirators contaminated with H1N1 aerosols and droplets
Section snippets
Preparation of H1N1 virus
Influenza A/PR/8/34 VR-1469 (ATCC VR-95H1N1) was propagated in embryonic chicken eggs following standard protocols.37 Virus titers were determined using a tissue culture infectious dose assay (TCID50) in Madin–Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK; ATCC CCL-34) with WHO-approved cell culture techniques.37
Aerosol application of H1N1 to FFRs
The laboratory-scale aerosol tunnel (LSAT; Fig 2) was used to apply H1N1 aerosols to the 6 FFR models (3 particulate, designated P1-P3, and 3 surgical, designated S1-S3). The LSAT was designed to
Results
The average concentration of H1N1 virus recovered from the untreated FFRs for each test ranged from 4.1 to 6.1 log10 TCID50 per sample (Table 1). The variability is a result of day-to-day deviation in testing and does not reflect the overall consistency of the method. The average SD for the triplicate untreated samples for all 36 tests was 0.27 log10TCID50, similar to that reported by others.43 All 3 energetic methods provided an average >4-log reduction of viable H1N1 influenza virus against
Discussion
A unique feature of the present study is the controlled contamination of FFRs with H1N1 influenza using aerosol methods, which provide a radically different challenge from solution-based tests, which require dilution of the virus in a large volume of water. As droplets form during aerosolization, they begin to dry and form droplet nuclei. As evaporation proceeds, viruses are coated with protective components from the aerosolization medium; these components can protect the virus from some
References (44)
- et al.
An outbreak of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus with evidence for human-to-human transmission
Microb Infect
(2009) - et al.
Do N95 respirators provide 95% protection level against airborne viruses, and how adequate are surgical masks?
Am J Infect Control
(2006) - et al.
The dry aerosol deposition device (DADD): an instrument for depositing microbial aerosols onto surfaces
J Microbiol Methods
(2009) - et al.
Decreased influenza virus pathogenesis by infection with germicidal UV-irradiated airborne virus
Environ Int
(1982) - et al.
Review: the physiology of saliva and transfer of drugs into saliva
Forensic Sci Int
(2005) - et al.
Method for contamination of filtering facepiece respirators by deposition of MS2 viral aerosols
J Aerosol Sci
(2010) - et al.
Robust estimation of mean and variance using environmental data sets with below detection limit observations
Chemometr Intell Lab Syst
(2002) - et al.
Development of a high-throughput Alamar blue assay for the determination of influenza virus infectious dose, serum antivirus neutralization titer and virus ca/ts phenotype
J Virol Methods
(2008) - et al.
Microwave-assisted nanofibrous air filtration for sterilization of bioaerosols
J Aerosol Sci
(2010) Influenza pandemics of the 20th century
Emerg Infect Dis
(2006)
Influenza A pandemics of the 20th century with special reference to 1918: virology, pathology and epidemiology
Rev Med Virol
Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans
N Engl J Med
Influenza A (H1N1) update 112, August 2010
Bioaerosol challenges to antimicrobial surface treatments: enhanced efficacy against MS2 coli phage of air filter media coated with polystyrene-4-methyltrimethylammonium triiodide. AFRL-ML-TY-TP-2006-4527
Transmission of influenza: implications for control in healthcare settings
Clin Infect Dis
Review of aerosol transmission of influenza A virus
Emerg Infect Dis
Guideline for isolation precautions: preventing transmission of infectious agents in healthcare settings
Reusability of facemasks during an influenza pandemic
Effect of decontamination on the filtration efficiency of two filtering facepiece respirator models
J Int Soc Resp Prot
Evaluation of five decontamination methods for filtering facepiece respirators
Ann Occup Hyg
Analysis of residual chemicals on filtering facepiece respirators after decontamination
J Environ Occup Health
Cited by (180)
Fast inactivation of coronavirus in filtering-facepiece respirators in a reflective cylindrical UV-C chamber
2022, Journal of Photochemistry and PhotobiologyMask disinfection using atmospheric pressure cold plasma
2022, International Journal of Infectious DiseasesDecontamination of disposable respirators for reuse in a pandemic employing in-situ-generated peracetic acid
2022, American Journal of Infection ControlImpact of the Contamination Method on the Disinfection of N95 Respirators: Drops versus Aerosols
2023, Aerosol and Air Quality Research
Conflict of interest: None to report.