New Developments in Virus Detection and Disinfection in the Environment

Dear Colleagues,

Viruses, especially foodborne, airborne, and waterborne viruses, are inherently highly contagious and pose significant public health challenges. The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2019, the ongoing challenge of human norovirus as a leading foodborne pathogen, and recurrent outbreaks of the H1N1 influenza virus have highlighted the critical importance of environmental virus detection and disinfection, particularly considering the limited effectiveness of vaccines against certain viral strains.

Unlike bacteria, which can be enriched in appropriate media, detecting viruses in environmental samples is notably challenging. This difficulty stems from their low concentrations and the necessity for concentration techniques and special recovery to ensure accurate detection. Moreover, many commonly used sanitizers or disinfectants exhibit limited efficacy against non-enveloped viruses such as human norovirus and hepatitis A virus. For instance, studies have shown that both viruses demonstrate resistance to several classes of commercial disinfectants, necessitating higher concentrations and longer contact times for effective inactivation.

The complexity of environmental conditions—including factors such as surface materials and conditions, humidity, and temperature—adds further challenges to effective viral control. These variables can affect both the persistence of viruses on surfaces and the efficacy of antimicrobial agents. Therefore, there is a critical and urgent need to deepen our understanding of viral persistence and decontamination, and to explore innovative technologies for viral inactivation. Advancing research in this area is essential to mitigate the spread of highly contagious viruses in diverse settings, including long-term care facilities, medical centers, and food service environments, and to strengthening public health protection.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jinge Huang
Guest Editor Assistant

Prof. Dr. Xiuping Jiang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• virus
• environmental surface
• air
• water
• detection
• disinfection