Evaluation of the Influenza Risk Reduction from Antimicrobial Spray Application on Porous Surfaces

Antimicrobial spray products are used by millions of people around the world for cleaning and disinfection of commonly touched surfaces. Influenza A is a pathogen of major concern, leading to up to 49,000 deaths and 114,000 hospitalizations per year in the United States alone. One of the recognized routes of transmission for influenza A is by transfer of viruses from surfaces to hands and subsequently to mucous membranes. Therefore, routine cleaning and disinfection of surfaces is an important part of the environmental management of influenza A. While the emphasis is generally on spraying hard surfaces and laundering cloth and linens with high temperature machine drying, not all surfaces can be treated in this manner. The quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach was used to develop a stochastic risk model for estimating the risk of infection from indirect contact with porous fomite with and without surface treatment with an antimicrobial spray. The data collected from laboratory analysis combined with the risk model show that influenza A infection risk can be lowered by four logs after using an antimicrobial spray on a porous surface. Median risk associated with a single touch to a contaminated fabric was estimated to be 1.25 × 10−4 for the untreated surface, and 3.6 × 10−8 for the treated surface as a base case assumption. This single touch scenario was used to develop a generalizable model for estimating risks and comparing scenarios with and without treatment to more realistic multiple touch scenarios over time periods and with contact rates previously reported in the literature. The results of this study and understanding of product efficacy on risk reduction inform and broaden the range of risk management strategies for influenza A by demonstrating effective risk reduction associated with treating nonporous fomites that cannot be laundered at high temperatures.