Rapid inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by titanium dioxide surface coating [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Abstract

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission occurs via airborne droplets and surface contamination. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) coating of surfaces is a promising infection control measure, though to date has not been tested against SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Virus stability was evaluated on TiO2- and TiO2–Ag (Ti:Ag atomic ratio 1:0.04)-coated 45 x 45 mm ceramic tiles. After coating the tiles were stored for 2–4 months before use. We tested the stability of both SARS-CoV-2 Spike pseudotyped virions based on a lentiviral system, as well as fully infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus. For the former, tile surfaces were inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped HIV-1 luciferase virus. At intervals virus was recovered from surfaces and target cells infected. For live virus, after illuminating tiles for 0–300 min virus was recovered from surfaces followed by infection of Vero E6 cells. % of infected cells was determined by flow cytometry detecting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein 24 h post-infection. Results: After 1 h illumination the pseudotyped viral titre was decreased by four orders of magnitude. There was no significant difference between the TiO2 and TiO2–Ag coatings. Light alone had no significant effect on viral viability. For live SARS-CoV-2, virus was already significantly inactivated on the TiO2 surfaces after 20 min illumination. After 5 h no detectable active virus remained. Significantly, SARS-CoV-2 on the untreated surface was still fully infectious at 5 h post-addition of virus. Overall, tiles coated with TiO2 120 days previously were able to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 under ambient indoor lighting with 87% reduction in titres at 1h and complete loss by 5h exposure. Conclusions: In the context of emerging viral variants with increased transmissibility, TiO2 coatings could be an important tool in containing SARS-CoV-2, particularly in health care facilities where nosocomial infection rates are high.