Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Mar;78(6):1666-9.
doi: 10.1128/AEM.06960-11. Epub 2012 Jan 6.

Aerosol susceptibility of influenza virus to UV-C light

James J McDevitt  1 , Stephen N Rudnick, Lewis J Radonovich
Affiliations

Aerosol susceptibility of influenza virus to UV-C light

James J McDevitt et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

The person-to-person transmission of influenza virus, especially in the event of a pandemic caused by a highly virulent strain of influenza, such as H5N1 avian influenza, is of great concern due to widespread mortality and morbidity. The consequences of seasonal influenza are also substantial. Because airborne transmission appears to play a role in the spread of influenza, public health interventions should focus on preventing or interrupting this process. Air disinfection via upper-room 254-nm germicidal UV (UV-C) light in public buildings may be able to reduce influenza transmission via the airborne route. We characterized the susceptibility of influenza A virus (H1N1, PR-8) aerosols to UV-C light using a benchtop chamber equipped with a UVC exposure window. We evaluated virus susceptibility to UV-C doses ranging from 4 to 12 J/m(2) at three relative humidity levels (25, 50, and 75%). Our data show that the Z values (susceptibility factors) were higher (more susceptible) to UV-C than what has been reported previously. Furthermore, dose-response plots showed that influenza virus susceptibility increases with decreasing relative humidity. This work provides an essential scientific basis for designing and utilizing effective upper-room UV-C light installations for the prevention of the airborne transmission of influenza by characterizing its susceptibility to UV-C.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
UV-C susceptibilities of influenza virus aerosols at 25 to 27%, 50 to 54%, and 81 to 84% RH (each data point is the average from triplicate experimental trials; error bars denote one standard deviation).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Alford RH, Kasel JA, Gerone PJ, Knight V. 1966. Human influenza resulting from aerosol inhalation. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 122:800–804 - PubMed
    1. Blachere FM, et al. 2009. Measurement of airborne influenza virus in a hospital emergency department. Clin. Infect. Dis. 48:438–440 - PubMed
    1. Brankston G, Gitterman L, Hirji Z, Lemieux C, Gardam M. 2007. Transmission of influenza A in human beings. Lancet Infect. Dis. 7:257–265 - PubMed
    1. Brickner PW, et al. 2003. The application of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to control transmission of airborne disease: bioterrorism countermeasure. Public Health Rep. 118:99–114 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dawood FS, et al. 2009. Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N. Engl. J. Med. 360:2605–2615 - PubMed

MeSH terms