Ultraviolet-C light at 222 nm has a high disinfecting spectrum in environments contaminated by infectious pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science

COVID-19*/prevention & control ; Communicable Diseases* ; Viruses*/radiation effects; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Bacteria/radiation effects ; Disinfection/methods

Ultraviolet light (UV) acts as a powerful disinfectant and can prevent contamination of personal hygiene from various contaminated environments. The 222-nm wavelength of UV-C has a highly effective sterilization activity and is safer than 275-nm UV-C. We investigated the irradiation efficacy of 222-nm UV-C against contaminating bacteria and viruses in liquid and fabric environments. We conducted colony-forming unit assays to determine the number of viable cells and a 50% tissue culture infectious dose assay to evaluate the virus titration. A minimum dose of 27 mJ/cm2 of 222-nm UV-C was required for >95% germicidal activity for gram-negative and -positive bacteria. A 25.1 mJ/cm2 dose could ensure >95% virucidal activity against low-pathogenic avian influenza virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In addition, this energy dose of 222-nm UV-C effectively inactivated SARS-CoV-2 variants, Delta and Omicron. These results provide valuable information on the disinfection efficiency of 222-nm UV-C in bacterial and virus-contaminated environments and can also develop into a powerful tool for individual hygiene.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2023 Song et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 Mar;78(6):1666-9. (PMID: 22226954)
J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2019 Jun;52(3):487-493. (PMID: 28951015)
Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2021 Jan;37(1):12-19. (PMID: 32894886)
Photochem Photobiol. 2020 Jul;96(4):853-862. (PMID: 32222977)
Yonsei Med J. 2021 Nov;62(11):961-968. (PMID: 34672129)
PLoS One. 2018 Feb 21;13(2):e0192053. (PMID: 29466457)
Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2013 Oct;13(5):731-62. (PMID: 24060701)
N Engl J Med. 2020 Apr 16;382(16):1564-1567. (PMID: 32182409)
PLoS One. 2018 Jul 25;13(7):e0201259. (PMID: 30044862)
Photochem Photobiol. 1986 Sep;44(3):359-63. (PMID: 3786457)
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2016 May;37(5):598-9. (PMID: 26818469)
Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2012 Feb;10(2):185-95. (PMID: 22339192)
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;996:71-87. (PMID: 29124692)
J Photochem Photobiol B. 2012 Dec 5;117:40-6. (PMID: 23026387)
Public Health Rep. 2010 Jan-Feb;125(1):15-27. (PMID: 20402193)
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 Jun;49(6):1361-5. (PMID: 2990336)
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2020 Feb 3;86(4):. (PMID: 31811032)
Br Med Bull. 2019 Dec 11;132(1):81-95. (PMID: 31848585)
Cornea. 2006 Oct;25(9):1080-3. (PMID: 17133058)
Intervirology. 2018;61(5):214-222. (PMID: 29316545)
Am J Infect Control. 2015 Dec 1;43(12):1342-6. (PMID: 26277574)
Biomed Opt Express. 2020 Jul 15;11(8):4326-4332. (PMID: 32923046)
Radiat Res. 2017 Apr;187(4):483-491. (PMID: 28225654)
Water Res. 2020 Nov 1;186:116386. (PMID: 32927421)
Free Radic Res. 2019 Jun;53(6):611-617. (PMID: 30947566)
GMS Hyg Infect Control. 2020 May 14;15:Doc08. (PMID: 32547908)
Am J Infect Control. 2021 Mar;49(3):299-301. (PMID: 32896604)
J Photochem Photobiol B. 2018 Dec;189:193-200. (PMID: 30391908)
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020 Dec;9(1):1744-1747. (PMID: 32673522)
Science. 1951 Aug 10;114(2954):156-7. (PMID: 14866175)
Sci Rep. 2020 Jun 24;10(1):10285. (PMID: 32581288)
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2013 May;34(5):466-71. (PMID: 23571362)
J Hosp Infect. 2020 Mar 31;:. (PMID: 32243946)
Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2020 Oct 14;19(10):1262-1270. (PMID: 32812619)
Mycoses. 2019 May;62(5):408-412. (PMID: 30748018)
Front Microbiol. 2020 Sep 29;11:572331. (PMID: 33133042)
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 9;8(1):2752. (PMID: 29426899)

SARS-CoV-2 variants

Date Created: 20231128 Date Completed: 20231130 Latest Revision: 20231201

20231201

PMC10684113

10.1371/journal.pone.0294427

38015931