Impact of low temperature on the efficacy of chlorous acid water and sodium hypochlorite solution for inactivating avian influenza virus on material surfaces
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Virology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- 2Clinical Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
- 3Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control, and Prevention, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- 4Sankei Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan
Abstract
Chlorous acid water is a type of chlorine-based disinfectant with chemical properties distinct from those of sodium hypochlorite solution, which is in common use. In this study, we evaluated the inactivation efficacy of chlorous acid water against avian influenza virus deposited on material surfaces, in comparison with sodium hypochlorite solution. First, the intrinsic antiviral activity of both disinfectants was examined under conditions free of amino acids and proteins. The results demonstrated that the 99% (IC99), 99.9% (IC99.9), and 99.99% inhibitory concentrations (IC99.99) were all approximately half those of sodium hypochlorite solution, indicating that chlorous acid water possesses slightly stronger inactivation activity. Next, the efficacy against protein-containing virus deposited on material surfaces (stainless steel, plastic, and rubber) was evaluated under conditions simulating a poultry house environment. At room temperature, both disinfectants exhibited equivalent inactivation capacity; however, a marked difference was observed under low-temperature conditions. Specifically, the efficacy of chlorous acid water was maintained or enhanced, whereas that of sodium hypochlorite solution declined, with the required concentration increasing approximately 2- to 3-fold. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that chlorous acid water exhibits antiviral activity comparable to or exceeding that of sodium hypochlorite solution, while retaining its efficacy even at low temperatures and in the presence of proteins. These properties suggest that chlorous acid water may be a particularly useful disinfectant in real-world settings such as poultry houses operating under low-temperature conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{morita2026impact,
title = {{Impact of low temperature on the efficacy of chlorous acid water and sodium hypochlorite solution for inactivating avian influenza virus on material surfaces}},
author = {Tomoko Morita and Abeer Mohamed Abdelfattah Elsayed and Rie Hirakawa and Basirat Mojisola Lawal-Ayinde and Tomoyuki Akita and Akima Yamamoto and Akifumi Higashiura and Toshihito Nomura and Isanori Horiuchi and Hisataka Goda and Junko Tanaka and Takemasa Sakaguchi},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0360392},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360392},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of low temperature on the efficacy of chlorous acid water and sodium hypochlorite solution for inactivating avian influenza virus on material surfaces
AU - Tomoko Morita
AU - Abeer Mohamed Abdelfattah Elsayed
AU - Rie Hirakawa
AU - Basirat Mojisola Lawal-Ayinde
AU - Tomoyuki Akita
AU - Akima Yamamoto
AU - Akifumi Higashiura
AU - Toshihito Nomura
AU - Isanori Horiuchi
AU - Hisataka Goda
AU - Junko Tanaka
AU - Takemasa Sakaguchi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0360392
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360392
AB - Chlorous acid water is a type of chlorine-based disinfectant with chemical properties distinct from those of sodium hypochlorite solution, which is in common use. In this study, we evaluated the inactivation efficacy of chlorous acid water against avian influenza virus deposited on material surfaces, in comparison with sodium hypochlorite solution. First, the intrinsic antiviral activity of both disinfectants was examined under conditions free of amino acids and proteins. The results demonstrated that the 99% (IC99), 99.9% (IC99.9), and 99.99% inhibitory concentrations (IC99.99) were all approximately half those of sodium hypochlorite solution, indicating that chlorous acid water possesses slightly stronger inactivation activity. Next, the efficacy against protein-containing virus deposited on material surfaces (stainless steel, plastic, and rubber) was evaluated under conditions simulating a poultry house environment. At room temperature, both disinfectants exhibited equivalent inactivation capacity; however, a marked difference was observed under low-temperature conditions. Specifically, the efficacy of chlorous acid water was maintained or enhanced, whereas that of sodium hypochlorite solution declined, with the required concentration increasing approximately 2- to 3-fold. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that chlorous acid water exhibits antiviral activity comparable to or exceeding that of sodium hypochlorite solution, while retaining its efficacy even at low temperatures and in the presence of proteins. These properties suggest that chlorous acid water may be a particularly useful disinfectant in real-world settings such as poultry houses operating under low-temperature conditions.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -