Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, 9211-116 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9, Canada.
Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, 11227 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G2, Canada.
Environ Res. 2024 Jan 15;241:117704. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117704. Epub 2023 Nov 19.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) disinfection technology is effective in inactivating microorganisms. However, its performance can vary against different microorganisms due to their diverse structural and genomic features. Thus, rapid predictions of UV (254 nm) inactivation kinetics are essential, particularly for highly infectious emerging pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, during the extemporary COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, aiming at single-strand RNA (ssRNA) viruses, an improved genomic model was introduced to predict the UV inactivation kinetics of viral genomes using genome sequence data. First, the overall virus infectivity loss in an aqueous matrix was estimated as the sum of damage to both the entire genome and the protein capsid. Then, the "UV rate constant ratio of aerosol and liquid" was used to convert the UV rate constant for viruses in a liquid-based matrix to an airborne state. The prediction model underwent both quantitative and qualitative validation using experimental data from this study and the literature. Finally, with the goal of mitigating potential airborne transmission of ssRNA viruses in indoor environments, this paper summarizes existing in-duct UVGI system designs and evaluates their germicidal performance. The prediction model may serve as a preliminary tool to assess the effectiveness of a UVGI system for emerging or unculturable viruses or to estimate the required UV dose when designing such a system.
紫外线杀菌消毒技术（UVGI）对微生物具有有效灭活作用。然而，由于不同微生物具有不同的结构和基因组特征，其性能可能存在差异。因此，快速预测紫外线（254nm）的失活动力学至关重要，特别是在 COVID-19 大流行期间，对于像 SARS-CoV-2 这样高度传染性的新兴病原体。在这项研究中，针对单链 RNA（ssRNA）病毒，引入了一种改进的基因组模型，该模型使用基因组序列数据预测病毒基因组的紫外线失活动力学。首先，将整个病毒在水基基质中的感染性损失估计为对整个基因组和蛋白质衣壳的损伤之和。然后，使用“气溶胶和液体的紫外线速率常数比”将基于液体基质的病毒中的紫外线速率常数转换为空气传播状态。该预测模型使用本研究和文献中的实验数据进行了定量和定性验证。最后，为了减轻室内环境中 ssRNA 病毒潜在的空气传播风险，本文总结了现有的管道紫外线杀菌系统设计，并评估了它们的杀菌性能。该预测模型可作为一种初步工具，用于评估紫外线杀菌系统对新兴或不可培养病毒的有效性，或在设计此类系统时估计所需的紫外线剂量。
