Virucidal activity of a quaternary ammonium compound associated with calcium hydroxide on avian influenza virus, Newcastle disease virus and infectious bursal disease virus

A quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) was evaluated for its virucidal efficacies with food additive grade calcium hydroxide (FdCa(OH)(2)). When the QAC was diluted 1:500 (QACx500) with redistilled water (dW(2)), it inactivated avian influenza virus (AIV) within 30 sec at 25°C, while at 2°C, it required 1 hr for inactivation. When FdCa(OH)(2) powder was added to QACx500 at a final concentration of 0.17%, the mixture, namely Mix500, inactivated AIV within 3 min at 2°C. After contamination with 1% fetal bovine serum (FBS), Mix500 inactivated AIV within 2 hr at 2°C, but QACx500 did not. These results indicate synergistic effects of the QAC and FdCa(OH)(2) solutions on virucidal activity.