This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
Wednesday 11 Nov 2015 - 19:48 Makkah mean time-29-1-1437
Southampton, (IINA) - Researchers at the University of Southampton have recently found that Coronavirus die quickly when exposed to copper, unlike other surface materials such as glass, tile and stainless steel where it can survive for days, UPI reported.
Limiting the spread of respiratory viruses such as human coronavirus, or those that spread from animals such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is difficult because of how infectious they are, researchers said.
It is noteworthy that the researchers from the University of Southampton have shown in previous studies that copper can kill norovirus, influenza and MRSA, which indicates that the use of copper in hospitals and medical labs could lead to positive effects.
"Transmission of infectious diseases via contaminated surfaces is far more important than was originally thought, and this includes viruses that cause respiratory infections", noted Southampton's researcher Dr. Sarah Warnes. "This is especially important when the infectious dose is low and just a few virus particles can initiate an infection".
Warnes and Professor Bill Keevil, chairman of Environmental Healthcare at the university, tested human coronavirus 229E, which is similar to SARS and MERS, on several surfaces. On most surfaces, including ceramic, tile, glass, rubber and stainless steel, 229E survived for at least five days, however it was rapidly destroyed on copper surfaces.
"The rapid inactivation and irreversible destruction of the virus observed on copper and copper alloy surfaces suggests that the incorporation of copper alloy surfaces, in conjunction with effective cleaning regimes and good clinical practice, could help control transmission of these viruses", Keevil said.
AG/IINA
|
No comments:
Post a Comment