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\"A practical plan for strengthening the incredible antiviral defenses located in your gut and resolving symptoms-from a renowned gastroenterologist and the author of Gutbliss\"-- Provided by publisher.

The newly identified pathogenic human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, led to an atypical pneumonia-like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak called coronavirus disease 2019 (abbreviated as COVID-19). Currently, nearly 77 million cases have been confirmed worldwide with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Individuals are getting vaccinated with recently approved vaccines, which are highly protective in suppressing COVID-19 symptoms but there will be a long way before the majority of individuals get vaccinated. In the meantime, safety precautions and effective disease control strategies appear to be vital for preventing the virus spread in public places. Due to the longevity of the virus on smooth surfaces, photocatalytic properties of “self-disinfecting/cleaning” surfaces appear to be a promising tool to help guide disinfection policies for controlling SARS-CoV-2 spread in high-traffic areas such as hospitals, grocery stores, airports, schools, and stadiums. Here, we explored the photocatalytic properties of nanosized TiO2 (TNPs) as induced by the UV radiation, towards virus deactivation. Our preliminary results using a close genetic relative of SAR-CoV-2, HCoV-NL63, showed the virucidal efficacy of photoactive TNPs deposited on glass coverslips, as examined by quantitative RT-qPCR and virus infectivity assays. Efforts to extrapolate the underlying concepts described in this study to SARS-CoV-2 are currently underway.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been a pandemic threat worldwide and causes severe health and economic burdens. Contaminated environments, such as personal items and room surfaces, are considered to have virus transmission potential. Ultraviolet C (UVC) light has demonstrated germicidal ability and removes environmental contamination. UVC has inactivated SARS-CoV-2; however, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. It was confirmed here that UVC 253.7 nm, with a dose of 500 μW/cm 2 , completely inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in a time-dependent manner and reduced virus infectivity by 10 –4.9 -fold within 30 s. Immunoblotting analysis for viral spike and nucleocapsid proteins showed that UVC treatment did not damage viral proteins. The viral particle morphology remained intact even when the virus completely lost infectivity after UVC irradiation, as observed by transmission electronic microscopy. In contrast, UVC irradiation-induced genome damage was identified using the newly developed long reverse-transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay, but not conventional RT-qPCR. The six developed long RT-PCR assays that covered the full-length viral genome clearly indicated a negative correlation between virus infectivity and UVC irradiation-induced genome damage (R 2 ranging from 0.75 to 0.96). Altogether, these results provide evidence that UVC inactivates SARS-CoV-2 through the induction of viral genome damage.

Samples known or suspected to be infected with high-consequence viruses such as Ebola, Nipah, and Lassa must be handled under high biocontainment. Studies involving animal infections with these pathogens can generate tissues that require downstream analyses, including molecular assays and histopathology, which are more readily performed, or in some cases only feasible, at lower containment levels. Before removal from high containment for analyses at lower containment levels, specimens must undergo validated inactivation procedures. Here, we quantified viral load reduction in tissues infected with these pathogens following treatment with neutral-buffered formalin for 10 min, 1 h, 3 days, or 7 days, and MagMAX lysis/binding solution concentrate or TriPure isolation reagent for 1 or 10 min. To ensure accurate detection of any residual infectious virus, samples were purified through resins or centrifugal filters to reduce reagent cytotoxicity and maximize volume of testable material. We demonstrated effective inactivation (≥ 4 log 10 reduction) of all three pathogens and quantified log-reduction values over multiple timepoints. These findings provide validation data to support safe handling of infectious tissues for research, field studies, and outbreak response.

High-consequence pathogens such as the Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa viruses are handled in maximum-containment biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories. Genetic material is often isolated from such viruses and subsequently removed from BSL-4 laboratories for a multitude of downstream analyses using readily accessible technologies and equipment available at lower-biosafety level laboratories. However, it is essential to ensure that these materials are free of viable viruses before removal from BSL-4 laboratories to guarantee sample safety. This study details the in-house procedure used for validating the inactivation of Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa virus cultures after incubation with AVL lysis buffer (Qiagen) and ethanol. This study’s findings show that no viable virus was detectable when high-titer cultures of Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa viruses were incubated with AVL lysis buffer for 10 min, followed by an equal volume of 95% ethanol for 3 min, using a method with a sensitivity of ≤0.8 log10 TCID50 as the limit of detection.

The extremely rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 has already resulted in more than 1 million reported deaths of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The ability of infectious particles to persist on environmental surfaces is potentially considered a factor for viral spreading. Therefore, limiting viral diffusion in public environments should be achieved with correct disinfection of objects, tissues, and clothes. This study proves how two widespread disinfection systems, short-wavelength ultraviolet light (UV-C) and ozone (O3), are active in vitro on different commonly used materials. The development of devices equipped with UV-C, or ozone generators, may prevent the virus from spreading in public places.

Methylene blue is an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) approved drug with an excellent safety profile. It displays broad-spectrum virucidal activity in the presence of UV light and has been shown to be effective in inactivating various viruses in blood products prior to transfusions. In addition, its use has been validated for methemoglobinemia and malaria treatment. In this study, we first evaluated the virucidal activity of methylene blue against influenza virus H1N1 upon different incubation times and in the presence or absence of light activation, and then against SARS-CoV-2. We further assessed the therapeutic activity of methylene blue by administering it to cells previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we examined the effect of co-administration of the drug together with immune serum. Our findings reveal that methylene blue displays virucidal preventive or therapeutic activity against influenza virus H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 at low micromolar concentrations and in the absence of UV-activation. We also confirm that MB antiviral activity is based on several mechanisms of action as the extent of genomic RNA degradation is higher in presence of light and after long exposure. Our work supports the interest of testing methylene blue in clinical studies to confirm a preventive and/or therapeutic efficacy against both influenza virus H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Biocontainment laboratories often have limited access to a range of instruments required for conducting standard assays on infected materials. Consequently, some of the protocols involving infected samples are conducted outside a biocontainment facility. To be compliant with regulatory requirements and minimize health and safety risks for scientific personnel, it is imperative to test procedures rigorously for safely removing infected samples from biocontainment areas. This study validated the chemical inactivation of Nipah virus (NiV), a representative member of the Henipavirus genus, in animal tissues and serum. Importantly, this work demonstrated successful NiV-spiking of non-human primate (NHP) tissues and their subsequent inactivation. This is important because NHP tissues contain unpredictable amounts of infectious virus. The primary objective was to establish standardized protocols that are compliant with regulations to permit safe retrieval of infected biological samples with high NiV infectious virus content from ABSL-4 laboratories for subsequent downstream processing under lower biocontainment conditions.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) is impacting public health in the Eurasian region, with increasing case numbers. There is, therefore, a need to expand research efforts and the corresponding infrastructure capacity. Since TBEV is classified as a risk group 3 organism in Switzerland, handling infectious material containing the virus is restricted to biosafety level 3 laboratories. In some instances, downstream analyses may need to be performed outside of the containment facility. It is, therefore, essential to validate effective inactivation protocols compatible with the safe and accurate processing of samples. This study evaluated UV irradiation, chemical treatment with detergents, and mechanical filtration as candidate methods to inactivate TBEV infectious samples, including culture supernatants and tissue homogenates, while preserving their compatibility for different assays. Among the methods tested, 45 s of UV irradiation or Triton-X100 at concentrations between 0.05% and 0.1% effectively inactivated TBEV while mostly preserving the integrity of the processed samples for immuno- or enzymatic assays. These findings establish safe and reliable procedures for advancing TBEV research beyond high-containment settings.

Despite advances in COVID-19 vaccines and antivirals, SARS-CoV-2 remains a significant public-health threat. While handwashing helps prevent infection, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of anionic surfactants in hand soaps has not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we compared five surfactants: potassium oleate (C18:1-K), potassium myristate (C14:0-K), potassium laurate (C12:0-K), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Viral infectivity assays demonstrated that C18:1-K exhibited remarkable efficacy, reducing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity by more than 10⁵-fold at a concentration of 1 mM. In contrast, SDS achieved only about a 10¹-fold reduction, and both SLES and C12:0-K showed minimal activity. Isothermal titration calorimetry revealed that C18:1-K–virus interactions exhibited a positive enthalpy change (ΔH), indicating endothermic hydrophobic interactions with viral-envelope lipids—contrasting with the results observed for influenza virus. By contrast, SDS and C12:0-K interactions showed negative ΔH values, suggesting exothermic electrostatic interactions with viral surface proteins. Transmission electron microscopy revealed extensive “rupture” images of viral particles after treatment with SDS or C12:0-K, whereas no such image was observed with C18:1-K. All surfactants induced concentration-dependent viral aggregation, suggesting that aggregation also contributes to viral inactivation. Among the surfactants tested, C18:1-K, which demonstrated the highest antiviral activity, also had the lowest critical micelle concentration, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions become pronounced above this threshold. These findings suggest that the inactivation mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 vary according to the physicochemical properties of the surfactants. Surfactants with strong hydrophobic interaction capabilities may exert superior antiviral effects, offering insights for the rational design of effective disinfectants.