Torko Francis, Gibson Kristen E
Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2025 Apr 23;91(4):e0247424. doi: 10.1128/aem.02474-24. Epub 2025 Mar 25.
Effective hand hygiene, such as hand washing and hand sanitizer use, is crucial in reducing infectious disease transmission via the hands. The efficacy of hand washing has been well-documented; however, relatively less is known regarding foam-based hand sanitizer efficacy, which is considered an effective alternative to washing hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers are recommended by both the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization when the hands are not visibly dirty or greasy. This study examined the efficacy of five commercially available foam hand sanitizers-four alcohol-based and one non-alcohol-based-against enveloped and non-enveloped viruses using bacteriophage phi6 (Φ6) and bacteriophage MS2 as surrogates, respectively. A cocktail of MS2 and Φ6 (8 log PFU/mL) was inoculated on the hands and exposed to 3 or 6 mL of hand sanitizer product followed by rubbing the palmar surface of the hands together for 10 s or until dry. The results showed significant log reduction among the virus surrogates ( ≤ 0.05), with Φ6 consistently showing higher susceptibility across all factors compared with MS2 with log reductions of 2.83 ± 1.98 and 0.50 ± 0.53 log reduction, respectively. Although dosing volume did not significantly impact log reduction ( = 0.31), rubbing time significantly affected bacteriophage inactivation ( ≤ 0.05). Higher log reduction was observed when hands were rubbed until dry (2.69 ± 2.06), compared with the typical 10 s rubbing time (0.65 ± 0.75). This study revealed that the efficacy of commercially available foam hand sanitizers depends on rubbing time and overall product formulation, rather than exclusively on active ingredient concentration.IMPORTANCEHuman hands are a key factor in the transmission of viral diseases, and proper hand hygiene is regarded as the gold standard against the spread of such diseases. This study examined the effectiveness of a hand hygiene technique, that is, the application of foam-based hand sanitizers, against the inactivation of enveloped and non-enveloped virus surrogates on the hands. Factors such as virus type, rubbing time, volume of product used, and product formulation can significantly influence the efficacy of hand sanitizers. To assess these effects, we tested different rubbing times and product volumes across alcohol- and non-alcohol-based, foam hand sanitizer formulations, each with varying active ingredient concentrations and inactive ingredients. The study was performed on the palmar surface of human hands to realistically simulate real-world conditions, providing valuable evidence to inform future hand sanitizer practices aimed at maximizing the reduction of infectious viral pathogens on the hands.
有效的手部卫生措施，如洗手和使用洗手液，对于减少通过手部传播传染病至关重要。洗手的功效已有充分记录；然而，对于基于泡沫的洗手液功效的了解相对较少，而泡沫洗手液被认为是用肥皂和水洗手的有效替代方法。当手部没有明显脏污或油腻时，美国疾病控制与预防中心以及世界卫生组织都推荐使用洗手液。本研究使用噬菌体phi6（Φ6）和噬菌体MS2分别作为包膜病毒和非包膜病毒的替代物，检测了五种市售泡沫洗手液（四种含酒精的和一种不含酒精的）对包膜病毒和非包膜病毒的杀灭效果。将MS2和Φ6的混合液（8 log PFU/mL）接种到手上，然后涂抹3或6 mL洗手液产品，接着双手掌心相互揉搓10秒或直至干燥。结果显示，病毒替代物的对数减少显著（≤0.05），与MS2相比，Φ6在所有因素下始终表现出更高的敏感性，其对数减少分别为2.83±1.98和0.50±0.53。尽管洗手液用量对对数减少没有显著影响（P = 0.31），但揉搓时间对噬菌体灭活有显著影响（P≤0.05）。与典型的10秒揉搓时间（0.65±0.75）相比，双手揉搓至干燥时观察到更高的对数减少（2.69±2.06）。本研究表明，市售泡沫洗手液的功效取决于揉搓时间和整体产品配方，而不仅仅取决于活性成分浓度。重要性人类的手是病毒性疾病传播的关键因素，正确的手部卫生被视为预防此类疾病传播的黄金标准。本研究检测了一种手部卫生技术，即使用基于泡沫的洗手液对手上包膜病毒和非包膜病毒替代物的灭活效果。病毒类型、揉搓时间、所用产品体积和产品配方等因素会显著影响洗手液的功效。为评估这些影响，我们测试了不同揉搓时间和产品用量的含酒精和不含酒精的泡沫洗手液配方，每种配方的活性成分浓度和非活性成分各不相同。该研究在人类手掌表面进行，以实际模拟现实世界的情况，为未来旨在最大程度减少手上传染性病毒病原体的洗手液使用方法提供了有价值的证据。
