Effectiveness of a procedure for disinfecting the vaginal photoplethysmograph contaminated with herpes simplex virus type 2.

To test the effectiveness of a disinfecting procedure involving 2% glutaraldehyde, a vaginal photoplethysmograph was contaminated with a known amount of herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2). The vaginal photoplethysmograph was then put through the disinfection procedure. Two virus solutions were tested, one designed to approximate the concentration found in a naturally occurring infection (low inoculum), the other with 100 times more virus (high inoculum). Varying lengths of exposure to glutaraldehyde were tested. Results of assays for the virus after the device was disinfected showed that no measurable infectious virus remained even at the shortest exposure to glutaraldehyde, 1 min. A second experiment was conducted in which glutaraldehyde was added directly to a virus solution. Results confirmed those of the first experiment.