Keywords
coronavirus
surgical masks
gown
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many controversies and questions have arisen regarding the persistence of viral activity on different surfaces. In particular, for the health area, it has been a great challenge to optimize the uses of the personal protective equipment, even more so taking into account the uncertainty about the stability of viral particles on different surfaces. Objectives. To analyze viral stability in surgical masks and disposable gowns. Materials and methods. Commercial three-layer surgical masks and gowns approved by the Argentine Agency of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) were artificially inoculated with defined amounts of herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) and bovine coronavirus (BCoV) under strictly established environmental conditions, or exposed to COVID-positive patients. Then, residual or remnant viral infectivity was evaluated using the PFU technique and by the appearance of cytopathic effects in cell cultures infected with residual virus. Results. The inactivation time was dependent on the initial infective dose.
For the maximum doses studied, the artificially inoculated viruses remained viable for up to 72 hours. However, in the gowns exposed to COVID-positive patients, no viral activity was recovered after 4 h. Conclusions. Under the same environmental conditions, the viral inactivation time depends on the initial infective dose. The higher the infective dose, the longer it will take for the inoculum to become inactivated. With doses higher than those naturally expected, the inactivation time of viral activity is 72 hours.
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