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How is using E. Coli for testing sterilization an accepted protocol? Viruses, even big ones like corona viruses, are much smaller than bacteria. Viruses are ver
by rfgasser 7y ago
How is using E. Coli for testing sterilization an accepted protocol? Viruses, even big ones like corona viruses, are much smaller than bacteria. Viruses are very very different than bacteria.They should have tested the sterilization procedure on a virus. Yes, it is harder but lives are at stake.
Escherichia coli is a rod-shaped bacterium. Each bacterium measures approximately 0.5 μm in width by 2 μm in length.
Coronaviruses are large pleomorphic spherical particles with bulbous surface projections.[12] The diameter of the virus particles is around 120 nm.
There are 1000 nm in 1 um.
- remote_phone 7y agoE. coli are much heartier than viruses and harder to kill. If they kill bacteria they will definitely kill viruses.
- bufferoverflow 7y ago[citation needed]
- cmbailey 7y agoCitation was requested: Small viruses like corona viruses have a lipid (fatty) envelope, which is easily compromised. Even more so than large viruses which are non-enveloped. Which in turn are easier to compromise than bacteria [1]. [1] https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/environmental-hygiene/understanding-physiology-healthcare-pathogens-environmental-disinfection https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/environmental-hygiene/...
- unwoundmouse 7y agoIt says in the article that (end of page 4) "4C Air confirmed all the proposed treatments have killed corona viruses."
- swader999 7y agoIf they used something this size they might resize quickly that N95 isn't suitable, even new ones. Especially for anyone in a high viral load environment.
- mattkrause 7y agoThere are two goals here: a) determine whether the mask is damaged by the sterilization technique and b) determine whether that technique actually sterilizes. The E. Coli experiment is for the latter goal. FWIW, E. coli are a pretty standard way for checking sterilization efficacy. They're easy to culture, fairly hardy, and non-pathogenic. Doing a first pass with live SARS-Cov2 would be incredibly foolhardy (what if the sterilization doesn't work?!)