Author(s)

Anja Gerhardts¹, Dirk Bockmühl², Andrea Kyas³, Anja Hofmann⁴, Mirko Weide⁵, Ingrid Rapp⁴, Dirk Höfer¹

¹William-Küster-Institut for Hygiene, Environment & Medicine, Hohenstein Institute for Textilinnovation gGmbH, Boen-nigheim, Germany.
²Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Hygiene and Microbiology, Kleve, Germany.
³Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Corporate Scientific Services, Duesseldorf, Germany.
⁴Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen GmbH, Ochsenhausen, Germany.
⁵Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, International R&D Laundry & Home Care, Duesseldorf, Germany.

Viral infections like Herpes simplex increasingly pose a serious threat to European health care systems and welfare of the population. Indirect transmission routes of infections via inanimate surfaces are often underestimated. In this study, we investigated the adhesion and persistence of Herpes simplex virus on cotton fabrics as well as its inactivation by domestic laundry. Virus adhesion to textile fibers was distinct, because viral DNA was detectable on fabrics for at least 48 hours after contamination as well as after home laundry. Particles remained infectious for several hours at room temperature and partially for 48 hours at 2℃ - 8℃. Nevertheless, domestic laundry was able to inactivate virus particles given that detergents were adequately used. This confirmed that standard household laundry processes, as established in Europe, are a suitable tool to reduce infectious Herpes virus particles from textiles, thereby supporting the prevention of infections circulating in the household and community.

Home Laundry, Herpes Simplex, Disinfectant Laundry Processes, Inactivation of Viruses

Gerhardts, A. , Bockmühl, D. , Kyas, A. , Hofmann, A. , Weide, M. , Rapp, I. and Höfer, D. (2016) Testing of the Adhesion of Herpes Simplex Virus on Textile Substrates and Its Inactivation by Household Laundry Processes. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 4, 111-125. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2016.412015.