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JAC Advance Access originally published online on September 13, 2005
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2005 56(5):805-807; doi:10.1093/jac/dki329
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Leading article

Virucidal hand treatments for prevention of rhinovirus infection

Ronald B. Turner* and J. Owen Hendley

Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, PO Box 800386, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA

* Corresponding author. Tel: +1-434-243-9864; Fax: +1-434-982-4246; E-mail: rbt2n{at}virginia.edu

Rhinovirus infections are associated with substantial morbidity and economic cost. The available common cold remedies are of limited utility and specific antiviral approaches have been unsuccessful. Viral contamination of the hands appears to play an important role in the transmission of rhinovirus from person-to-person. Interruption of this step in transmission presents a potential target for intervention. Initial studies demonstrated that the common cold could be prevented by treatment of hands with iodine. Inactivation of the rhinoviruses by acid is well known and a survey of organic acids considered safe for consumer use revealed that salicylic acid and pyroglutamic acid have potent virucidal activity for the rhinoviruses that persists for several hours after application to the hands. A subsequent evaluation in human volunteers confirmed the prevention of rhinovirus infections by these acids and suggested that these agents have promise as cosmetically acceptable virucidal agents for interruption of the transmission of these infections.

Keywords: common cold , hand disinfection , antiviral


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