British scientists have
found that copper kills novovirus, one of the nastiest bugs that generate
massive outbreaks of food poisoning.
The virus can be contracted from contaminated
food or water, person-to-person contact, and contact with contaminated
surfaces, meaning surfaces made from copper could effectively shut down one
avenue of infection.
Norovirus is responsible for more than 267
million cases of acute gastroenteritis every year.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine and
outbreaks regularly shut down hospital wards and care homes, requiring
expensive deep-cleaning, incurring additional treatment costs and resulting in
lost working days when staff are infected.
It’s a plague on the cruise ship industry where
there have been a number of outbreaks.
It has also shown up in hotels where it sickens
many of the guests.
Professor Bill Keevil, chair in Environmental
Healthcare at the University of Southampton and lead researcher, presented his
work at the American Society for Microbiology's 2013 general meeting last week.
The presentation showed norovirus was rapidly
destroyed on copper and its alloys, with those containing more than 60 per cent
copper proving particularly effective.
The contamination model used was designed to
simulate fingertip-touch contamination of surfaces.
Professor Keevil from the University's Institute
for Life Sciences, said "copper alloy surfaces can be employed in
high-risk areas such as cruise ships and care homes, where norovirus outbreaks
are hard to control because infected people can't help but contaminate the
environment with vomiting and diarrhea.
"The virus can remain infectious on solid
surfaces and is also resistant to many cleaning solutions.
“That means it can spread to people who touch
these surfaces, causing further infections and maintaining the cycle of
infection.”
He said copper surfaces such as door handles and
taps can disrupt the cycle and lower the risk of outbreaks.
