bims-miravi 2025-01-19 papers

Issue of 2025–01–19
two papers selected by
Gavin Taylor, IGDORE

Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 15. 15(1): 2021

Selected microwave irradiation effectively inactivates airborne avian influenza A(H5N1) virus.

Pietro Bia, Margherita Losardo, Antonio Manna, Silvio Brusaferro, Gaetano P Privitera, Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus threatens animal and human health globally. Innovative strategies are crucial for mitigating risks associated with airborne transmission and preventing outbreaks. In this study, we sought to investigate the efficacy of microwave inactivation against aerosolized A(H5N1) virus by identifying the optimal frequency band for a 10-min exposure and evaluating the impact of varying exposure times on virus inactivation. A(H5N1) was aerosolized and exposed to various microwave frequencies ranging from 8 to 16 GHz for a duration of 10 min. Viral titers were quantified using TCID50, and inactivation was assessed by comparing irradiated samples to controls. The 11-13 GHz band yielded the highest inactivation, with an average 89% mean reduction in A(H5N1) titer, particularly within the 11-12 GHz range, which exhibited peak efficacy. Based on the overall results, the optimal frequency band (8-12 GHz) was further tested with exposure durations of 1, 3, and 5 min. Inactivation was time-dependent, with a 5-minute exposure resulting in a 94% mean reduction, compared to 58% and 48% for 3- and 1-minute exposures, respectively. We conclude that optimized microwave emitters in high-risk environments like poultry farms and veterinary clinics could offer a novel, non-chemical approach to mitigating avian influenza spread and outbreaks.

Keywords: A(H5N1) virus; Avian influenza; Exposure time; Frequency bands; Radiated microwaves

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85376-6

Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Nov 22. 103(47): e40341

Inactivation of β-coronavirus MHV-A59 by 2.8 GHz microwave.

Yi Xiao, Ruiyun Peng, Haoyu Wang, Hui Wang, Ji Dong, Kehui Wang, Wei Liu, Li Zhao.

From the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in 2003 to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in 2019, coronavirus has seriously threatened human health. Electromagnetic waves not only own high penetration and low pollution but also can physically resonate with the virus. Several studies have demonstrated that electromagnetic waves can inactivate viruses efficiently. However, there is still a lack of systemic studies to analyze the potential factors closely associated with the effectiveness of inactivation, such as pH, temperature, and so on. In this study, we evaluated the inactivation ability of a 2.8 GHz microwave (MW) on MHV-A59, a substitute virus for coronavirus. Moreover, the influences of environmental pH and temperature on inactivation abilities were also discussed. The results showed that the viral morphology was destroyed, and the infectivity of MHV-A59 was significantly decreased after exposure to a 2.8 GHz MW at a density of 100 mW/cm2. Furthermore, alteration of pH 8 could produce synergistic effects with MW on virus inactivation. And, it was also proved that MWs could inactivate viruses better at room temperature than that under lower environmental temperatures. These results suggested that electromagnetic wave has great promise to become an effective tool to eliminate coronavirus.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000040341