Kampf G - Authors performed this review to describe the spectrum of virucidal activity of ethanol in solution or as commercially available products. They found that the spectrum of virucidal activity of ethanol at 95% covered the majority of clinically relevant viruses. Substantial improvement in this virucidal activity could be achieved with additional acids at lower concentrations against e.g. poliovirus, FCV, polyomavirus and FMDV although selected viruses such as HAV could still be too resistant. They suggested selecting a suitable virucidal hand rub on the basis of the most common viruses prevalent in a unit and the user acceptability of the product under frequent use conditions.

Methods

• Authors conducted a systematic search.
• Studies containing original data on reduction of viral infectivity from suspension tests (49 studies) and contaminated hands (17 studies) were selected.

Results

• Ethanol at 80% seemed highly effective against all tested 21 enveloped viruses within 30s.
• Ethanol between 70% and 90% usually inactivated murine norovirus and adenovirus type 5 in 30s however poliovirus type 1 was often found to be too resistant except for ethanol at 95% (all test viruses of EN 14476).
• Ethanol at 80% seemed insufficiently effective against poliovirus, FCV, polyomavirus, HAV and FMDV.
• Authors realized that the spectrum of virucidal activity of ethanol at 95%, however, covered the majority of clinically relevant viruses.