New research examined if mouthwashes, antiseptics, and a nasal rinse were effective ways to kill a virus very similar to COVID-19.
- The study found that some of
these products can be effective against a type of human coronavirus under
lab-controlled conditions.
- However, experts say human
trials with people with COVID-19 are needed to confirm how effective they
would be at reducing the spread of the virus between people.
- Experts also say that mouthwash
or nasal rinses are no substitute for using a mask to prevent the spread
of COVID-19.
A new study from Penn State
University suggests that commonly available oral antiseptics, mouthwashes, and
nasal rinses might inactivate human coronaviruses, reducing risk of
transmission.
“We were looking for a simple over-the-counter (OTC)
procedure to lower the transmission of coronavirus,” study author Craig
Meyers, PhD, and a professor at Penn State University told Healthline. “A
procedure that did not differ from the standard use.”
The findings indicate that some OTC products may be
effective at reducing the amount of coronavirus present in people’s mouths —
potentially reducing spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The study was published in the Journal of
Medical Virology.
According to Meyers, the results were surprising on two
counts, “The first was how well certain products inactivated the virus. Second,
how some products, those containing 1.5 percent hydrogen peroxide, had no
effect.”
“It definitely is an eye-opener,” agreed Dr. Nikhil
Bhayani, an infectious disease physician with Texas Health Resources.
What’s
important to know about this study
While the nasal and oral cavities are major points of entry
and transmission for coronaviruses, Meyers and team used a test to replicate
how the virus interacted with rinses and mouthwashes.
The virus analyzed was human coronavirus 229e (HCoV-229e)
and not the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. There were also
no human participants involved in this research.
This study consisted of treating solutions that contained
HCoV-229e, which was readily available and genetically similar to SARS-CoV-2.
Researchers introduced different hydrogen peroxide
antiseptic rinses and various brands of mouthwash into the coronavirus solution
and allowed them to interact with the virus for 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 2
minutes, before they diluted the solution to prevent any further virus
deactivation.
Not
the first study of mouthwash and coronavirus
Meyers’ findings add to previous research looking at how
effective oral rinses can be to inactivate human coronavirus.
Although that study, published in The
Journal of Infectious Diseases, also relied on lab-controlled conditions and
didn’t specifically investigate SARS-CoV-2.
However, Meyers and team used longer contact times and OTC
nasal and oral rinses not evaluated before, and he considers human trials on
COVID-19-positive patients essential to confirm the findings.
“With this said, human clinical trials are still needed,”
said Meyers. “But again the data suggests that we do something we already
should probably [be] doing that is simple and safe.”
Those clinical trials are currently
underway.
According to Bhayani, while he thinks the findings are
plausible, there are important questions that need to be answered, such as: At
what stage of infection would oral or nasal rinses reduce the risk of
transmission?
Strangely, a baby shampoo-based nasal rinse showed significant
virus-killing ability.
“A 1% baby shampoo nasal rinse solution inactivated HCoV
greater than 99.9% with a 2‐min contact time,” the study authors
wrote.
The OTC mouthwash/gargle products investigated included
Listerine and Listerine-like products which were “highly effective at
inactivating infectious virus with greater than 99.9% even with a 30‐s [second] contact time.
The Penn State researchers also pointed to studiesTrusted
Source showing that baby shampoo has been found to be safe and effective
to treat chronic rhinosinusitis (an inflammation of the nasal tissues).
When asked if antiseptics that kill coronaviruses in the
mouth, throat, and nasal cavity could help delay or even prevent infection by
SARS-CoV-2, Bhayani agreed that it might help “reduce the viral burden lowering
the risk of transmission.”
Source: Healthline
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