[Virucidal effectiveness of some commercial products for chemothermal disinfection methods for temperature resistant viruses and bacteriophages--evaluation of a test model].

In the laboratory assay of chemothermal virus disinfection procedures a test system is required which allows to differentiate between the physical effects of the temperature and the chemical effects by the disinfectant used. From the four test viruses recommended by the German Association for the Control of Virus Diseases (Deutsche Vereinigung zur Bekämpfung der Viruskrankheiten) only SV 40 tumor virus showed a sufficient thermal stability at 55 degrees C to take it in consideration as test virus for chemothermal disinfection procedures. Bacteriophage Phi x 174 and lactococci phages P001, P008 and P109 are suggested for the evaluation of chemothermal disinfection procedures in food processing industries because of their thermal stability at 55 degrees C, for short exposition times even at 60 degrees C. For procedures which work at 60 degrees C, e.g. laundry disinfection, especially bovine parvovirus can be recommended as test virus. In case of a binary product consisting of two different compounds for mechanically cleaning and disinfection of surgical instruments we were able to evaluate the virucidal effectivity at 55 degrees C for both parts separately. Generally our results showed that products with insufficient virucidal activity against naked viruses even at 60 degrees C may not be assumed as sure virucidal disinfectants.