Citation:

Wyrzykowska-Ceradini, B., W. Calfee, A. Touati, Joe Wood, L. Mickelsen, L. Miller, M. Colby, C. Slone, N. Griffin-Gatchalian, S. Gayatri Pongur, AND D. Aslett. The Use of Bacteriophage MS2 for Development and Application of a Virucide Decontamination Test Method for Porous and Heavily Soiled Surfaces. JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, , 1-31, (2019).

Impact/Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to develop a robust analytical procedure for recovering and quantifying MS2 bacteriophage from samples of simulated agricultural surfaces. The method was further deployed in disinfectant efficacy testing on porous and heavily soiled surfaces at both the laboratory and operational scales.

Description:

An analytical method was optimized for MS2 recovery from simulated agricultural surfaces. Considerations included selection of a neutralizer and extraction buffer, determination of analytical holding time, and MS2 survivability on surfaces with and without grime. The decontamination efficacy of a spray-applied pH-adjusted bleach (pAB) and 2% citric acid was evaluated in laboratory- and operational-scale testing. The acid-based method offered a limited efficacy against MS2 on simulated agricultural surfaces (compared to full or near full decontamination using pAB). The quantitative performance of the MS2 analytical method can be affected by the sampled surface characteristics, composition of the extraction buffer, analytical holding time, and surface-specific organism survivability. The decontamination efficacy of complex surfaces should be tested in an applied setting that reflects the characteristics of target materials. The results of this comprehensive laboratory- and operational-scale study demonstrate the importance of analytical method verification tests for disinfectant testing of complex indoor and outdoor surfaces, in order to gather robust data that are predictive of real-world outcomes.

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