UV Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 across the UVC Spectrum: KrCl∗ Excimer, Mercury-Vapor, and Light-Emitting-Diode (LED) Sources

Ben Ma, Patricia M. Gundy, Charles P. Gerba, Mark D. Sobsey, Karl G. Linden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

91 Scopus citations

Abstract

Effective disinfection technology to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can help reduce viral transmission during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic and in the future. UV devices emitting UVC irradiation (200 to 280 nm) have proven to be effective for virus disinfection, but limited information is available for SARS-CoV-2 due to the safety requirements of testing, which is limited to biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratories. In this study, inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in thin-film buffered aqueous solution (pH 7.4) was determined across UVC irradiation wavelengths of 222 to 282 nm from krypton chloride (KrCl∗) excimers, a low-pressure mercury-vapor lamp, and two UVC light-emitting diodes. Our results show that all tested UVC devices can effectively inactivate SARS-CoV-2, among which the KrCl∗ excimer had the best disinfection performance (i.e., highest inactivation rate). The inactivation rate constants of SARS-CoV-2 across wavelengths are similar to those for murine hepatitis virus (MHV) from our previous investigation, suggesting that MHV can serve as a reliable surrogate of SARS-CoV-2 with a lower BSL requirement (BSL2) during UV disinfection tests. This study provides fundamental information on UVC's action on SARS-CoV-2 and guidance for achieving reliable disinfection performance with UVC devices.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere01532-21
JournalApplied and environmental microbiology
Volume87
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021

Keywords

  • Bacteriophage Phi6
  • COVID-19
  • Far UVC
  • Human coronavirus 229E
  • MHV
  • Murine hepatitis virus
  • Surrogate
  • UV disinfection

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Food Science
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Ecology

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