Rapid virucidal activity of an air sanitizer against aerosolized MS2 and Phi6 phage surrogates for non-enveloped and enveloped vertebrate viruses, including SARS-CoV-2

An air sanitizer was evaluated using an aerobiology protocol, compliant with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air Sanitizer Guidelines, for virucidal activity against bacteriophages Phi6 and MS2 (used as surrogates for enveloped and non-enveloped human pathogenic viruses). The phages were suspended in a medium containing a tripartite soil load simulating body fluids and aerosolized using a six-jet Collison nebulizer in an enclosed 25 m³ aerobiology chamber at 22 ± 2°C and 50 ± 10% relative humidity. The air sanitizer was sprayed into the chamber for 30 s. Viable phages in the air were captured directly, in real time, on host bacterial lawns using a slit-to-agar sampler. Reductions in viable phage concentration ≥3.0 log₁₀ (99.9%) were observed after a mean exposure of 3.6 min for Phi6, suggesting efficacy against enveloped viruses (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV), and ~10.6 min for MS2, suggesting virucidal efficacy for non-enveloped viruses (e.g., noroviruses and rhinoviruses). This targeted air sanitization approach represents an important non-pharmaceutical public health intervention with virucidal efficacy against airborne viral pathogens.IMPORTANCEAirborne viruses are implicated in the transmission indoors of respiratory and enteric viral infections. Air sanitizers represent a non-pharmaceutical intervention to mitigate the risk of such viral transmission. We have developed a method that is now an ASTM International standard (ASTM E3273-21) as well as a test protocol approved by the U.S. EPA to evaluate the efficacy of air sanitizing sprays for inactivating airborne MS2 and Phi6 bacteriophage (used as surrogates for non-enveloped and enveloped human pathogenic viruses, respectively). The test phages were individually suspended in a soil load and aerosolized into a room-sized aerobiology chamber maintained at ambient temperature and relative humidity. Reductions in viable phage concentration ≥3.0 log₁₀ (99.9%) were observed after a mean exposure of 3.6 min for Phi6, suggesting efficacy against enveloped viruses (e.g., SARS-CoV-2; influenza; RSV), and ~10.6 min for MS2, suggesting virucidal efficacy for non-enveloped viruses (e.g., noroviruses and rhinoviruses). The data suggest the utility of the air sanitizer for mitigating the risk of indoor viral transmission during viral pandemics and outbreaks.