Effectiveness of Dettol Antiseptic Liquid for Inactivation of Ebola Virus in Suspension

The efficacy of Dettol Antiseptic Liquid (DAL) for inactivating Ebola virus (Makona C07 variant) (EBOV/Mak) within an organic load in suspension was evaluated per ASTM E1052-11. Three DAL lots were evaluated at dilutions of 1:10, 1:20, and 1:40, with contact times of 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 min. Approximately 7 log(10) tissue culture infectious dose(50) (TCID(50)) of EBOV/Mak was exposed to DAL at ambient temperature. Each dilution tested reduced the infectious EBOV/Mak titer by ~5 log(10) within one min. Detectable virus was still present after an 0.5-min exposure, but each DAL dilution caused >4 log(10) reduction within this time. Detection of virus below the limit of detection of the TCID(50) assay was assessed by inoculating flasks of Vero E6 cells with undiluted neutralized sample and evaluating the cultures for cytopathic effect after 14 days incubation. No infectious virus was detected with this non-quantitative method in samples subjected to DAL for 5 or 10 min, regardless of the dilution evaluated. The rapid and substantial inactivation of EBOV/Mak by DAL suggests that use of this hygiene product could help prevent the spread of Ebola virus disease during outbreaks.