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Hepatitis A viral outbreaks continue to occur. It can be transmitted through aerosolized droplets and thus can contaminate surfaces and the environment. Ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV-C LED) systems are used for inactivation of microbes, though research is needed to determine optimal doses for aerosolized HAV inactivation. This study evaluates the UV-C LED doses for the inactivation of aerosolized hepatitis A virus (HAV) deposited on stainless-steel and glass discs. HAV was aseptically deposited onto stainless-steel or glass discs (1.27 cm diameter) using a nebulizer within a chamber followed by treatments for up to 1.5 min with 255 nm (surface dose = 0–76.5 mJ/cm²) or 279 nm (surface dose = 0–8.1 mJ/cm²) UV-C LED. Plaque assays were used to enumerate infectious titers of recovered viruses and data from three replicates were statistically analyzed. The calculated linear D₁₀-value (UV-C dose for a 1-log reduction in aerosolized deposits) for HAV by 255 nm UV-C LED was 47.39 ± 7.40 and 40.0 ± 2.94 mJ/cm² (R² = 0.94 and 0.91) and using 279 nm UV-C LED were 6.60 ± 0.27 and 5.57 ± 0.74 mJ/cm² (R² = 0.98 and 0.94) on stainless-steel and glass discs, respectively. The non-linear Weibull model showed δ (dose needed for a 1-log reduction in aerosolized HAV deposits) values for HAV of 29.69 ± 5.49 and 35.25 ± 15.01 mJ/cm² by 255 nm UV-C LED (R² = 0.99 and 0.92) and 6.67 ± 0.63 and 5.21 ± 1.25 mJ/cm² by 279 nm UV-C LED (R² = 0.98 and 0.95) on stainless-steel and glass discs, respectively. These data indicate that 279 nm UV-C LED showed higher efficiency for HAV inactivation than 255 nm UV-C LED, and that Weibull models were a better fit when tailing was observed. This study provides the inactivation data needed to aid in designing UV-C LED systems for delivering doses required to inactivate bio-aerosolized HAV deposits on stainless-steel and glass. Full article

Food-borne transmission is a recognized route for many viruses associated with gastrointestinal, hepatic, or neurological diseases. Therefore, it is essential to identify new bioactive compounds with broad-spectrum antiviral activity to exploit innovative solutions against these hazards. Recently, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been recognized as promising antiviral agents. Indeed, while the antibacterial and antifungal effects of these molecules have been widely reported, their use as potential antiviral agents has not yet been fully investigated. Herein, the antiviral activity of previously identified or newly designed AMPs was evaluated against the non-enveloped RNA viruses, hepatitis A virus (HAV) and murine norovirus (MNV), a surrogate for human norovirus. Moreover, specific assays were performed to recognize at which stage of the viral infection cycle the peptides could function. The results showed that almost all peptides displayed virucidal effects, with about 90% of infectivity reduction in HAV or MNV. However, the decapeptide RiLK1 demonstrated, together with its antibacterial and antifungal properties, a notable reduction in viral infection for both HAV and MNV, possibly through direct interaction with viral particles causing their damage or hindering the recognition of cellular receptors. Hence, RiLK1 could represent a versatile antimicrobial agent effective against various foodborne pathogens including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Full article