Instituto Valenciano de Microbiología
(IVAMI)

Masía El Romeral
Ctra. de Bétera a San Antonio Km. 0.3
46117 Bétera (Valencia)
Phone. 96 169 17 02
Fax 96 169 16 37
Email: 
www.ivami.com
CIF B-96337217

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ASTM E1838-17. Standard Test Method for Determining the virus-eliminating effectiveness of Hygienic Handwash and Handrub agents using the Fingerpads of adults. 

Test accredited in our laboratory by ENAC (Spanish National Accreditation Entity).

Test with the certificate of Good Laboratory Praactice (GLPs).

Hands transiently contaminated with viruses can act as vehicles for the spread of many types of infections. Hand hygiene is designed to reduce the burden of viruses and other transient microorganisms present in the hands, which reduces the risk of disease transmission. Such reduction in the load is due both to an inactivation of the virus, as well as to the mechanical elimination of the same in the skin. This test is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of microbicidal or non-microbicidal formulations in the elimination of viruses. This test is designed to evaluate the ability of hand-washing and hand-rubbing agents to reduce the levels of infectious viruses selected from the fingertips of adults experimentally contaminated. Some of the following viruses can be used in the test: Adenovirus type 5, Murine Norovirus, Rhinovirus, Rotavirus and Feline Calicivirus. The test is performed with a minimum of three subjects for each combination of test substance and virus to be evaluated. The exposure time of the test substance should be representative of the actual conditions of use, 10 to 20 seconds for a hand soap and 20 to 30 seconds for a hand sanitizer. The test uses an interfering substance, consisting of fetal bovine serum at a final concentration of 5%. In our laboratory we include the controls indicated by the ASTM E1838-17 standard and by the UNE-EN 14476: 2014 + A1: 2015 standard. The amount of infectious virus remaining after the inoculum drying is used as a baseline to determine the degree of elimination of the virus after treatment with the test product or the control product. To consider the virucidal product a logarithmic reduction of 4 in infectivity must be demonstrated. The customer must choose a contact time and a test concentration or manufacturer's instructions on how to add the product. The applicant for the test must record these requirements on the test form.