Coating with Hypertonic Saline Improves Virus Protection of Filtering Facepiece Manyfold—Benefit of Salt Impregnation in Times of Pandemic

Franz Tatzber, Willibald Wonisch, Gyula Balka, Andras Marosi, Miklós Rusvai, Ulrike Resch, Meinrad Lindschinger, Sabrina Moerkl and Gerhard Cvirn
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Franz Tatzber: Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
Willibald Wonisch: Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Physiological Chemistry, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
Gyula Balka: Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1078 Budapest, Hungary
Andras Marosi: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
Miklós Rusvai: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
Ulrike Resch: Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Meinrad Lindschinger: Institute of Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases, Outpatient Clinic Laßnitzhöhe, 8301 Laßnitzhöhe, Austria
Sabrina Moerkl: Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
Gerhard Cvirn: Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Physiological Chemistry, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-9

Abstract: Recently, as is evident with the COVID-19 pandemic, virus-containing aerosols can rapidly spread worldwide. As a consequence, filtering facepieces (FFP) are essential tools to protect against airborne viral particles. Incorrect donning and doffing of masks and a lack of hand-hygiene cause contagion by the wearers’ own hands. This study aimed to prove that hypertonic saline effectively reduces the infectious viral load on treated masks. Therefore, a hypertonic salt solution´s protective effect on surgical masks was investigated, specifically analyzing the infectivity of aerosolized Alphacoronavirus 1 in pigs (Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV)). Uncoated and hypertonic salt pre-coated FFPs were sprayed with TGEV. After drying, a defined part of the mask was rinsed with the medium, and the eluent was used for the infection of a porcine testicular cell line. Additionally, airborne microorganisms´ long-term infectivity of sodium-chloride in phosphate-buffered saline comprising 5% saccharose was investigated. In the results from an initial Median Tissue Culture Infectious Dose, infection rate of TGEV was minimally reduced by untreated FFP. In contrast, this could be reduced by a factor of 10 4 if FFPs were treated with hypertonic salt solutions. Airborne pathogens did not contaminate the growth medium if salt concentrations exceeded 5%. We conclude that hypertonic saline is a vital tool for anti-virus protection, exponentially improving the impact of FFPs.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; hypertonic saline; COVID-19; protection; transmissible gastroenteritis virus; alphacoronavirus 1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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