Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses that commonly cause upper respiratory tract infections in humans and animals. Four known coronaviruses cause the common cold in humans, while another three have caused deadly outbreaks in the past 20 years, including SARS-CoV-2, the agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 has been particularly devastating, so enhanced disinfection and other preventative measures against SARS-CoV-2 have been adopted worldwide to limit its spread.
Since SARS-CoV-2 is both a novel virus and a biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) agent, disinfection data for this specific virus are scarce. Consequently, studies using other coronaviruses have been used to draw conclusions about which disinfectants are most effective against it. While this approach is useful, it is also inherently speculative, since even viruses within the same family can respond differently to a given disinfectant (1
). In addition, experts disagree about which disinfectants should work best against SARS-CoV-2, especially when it comes to quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats). For instance, one prominent review article reported that benzalkonium chloride (a Quat) was probably “less effective” against SARS-CoV-2, which was cited by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of the United States as a reason to avoid using benzalkonium chloride-based hand sanitizer products (2
,3
). At the same time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States and Health Canada both list a benzalkonium chloride product on their official list of disinfectants recommended for use against SARS-CoV-2 (4
). Many nosocomial outbreaks of COVID-19 have been documented to date, and hospitals need laboratory-documented data for effective decontamination. Clearly, more research is needed in this area to help to stem the current pandemic.
Journal of Hospital Infection:
