Effects of electromagnetic waves on pathogenic viruses and relevant mechanisms: a review

Yi, Xun; Zhao, Li; Peng, Ruiyun

doi:10.1186/s12985-022-01889-w

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Compared to classical pathogen inactivation, electromagnetic wave radiation can penetrate and heat rapidly and homogeneously, and resonate with microorganisms. In recent years, the applications of electromagnetism for the inactivation of pathogenic viruses have attracted increasing attention [17][18][19].…”

Section: Background 21 Microwave-based Sars-cov-2 Inactivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Inactivation in Aerosol by Means of Radiated Microwaves

Manna

Forni²,

Bartocci

et al. 2023

Viruses

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Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause infections on the respiratory tract that can be fatal. These viruses can cause both mild illnesses such as the common cold and lethal illnesses such as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. Air transmission represents the principal mode by which people become infected by SARS-CoV-2. To reduce the risks of air transmission of this powerful pathogen, we devised a method of inactivation based on the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the area to be sanitized. We optimized the conditions in a controlled laboratory environment mimicking a natural airborne virus transmission and consistently achieved a 90% (tenfold) reduction of infectivity after a short treatment using a Radio Frequency (RF) wave emission with a power level that is safe for people according to most regulatory agencies, including those in Europe, USA, and Japan. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to be inactivated through RF wave emission under conditions compatible with the presence of human beings and animals. Additional in-depth studies are warranted to extend the results to other viruses and to explore the potential implementation of this technology in different environmental conditions.

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Section: Background 21 Microwave-based Sars-cov-2 Inactivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Inactivation in Aerosol by Means of Radiated Microwaves

Manna

Forni²,

Bartocci

et al. 2023

Viruses

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“…In recent years, the use of electromagnetism for pathogenic virus-inactivation has gained increasing attention. [25][26][27] Compared to traditional methods of pathogen inactivation, electromagnetic wave radiation can rapidly and uniformly penetrate microorganisms, causing resonance. We recently described the inactivation of the Wuhan variant of SARS-CoV-2 28 by the use of the confined acoustic dipolar mode of resonance using microwaves of the same frequency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endemic Respiratory Viruses Inactivation in Aerosol by Means of Radiated Microwaves

Manna,

Forni,

Bartocci

et al. 2023

MRAJ

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Background. Airborne transmission of endemic respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, poses significant public health challenges. Aims. This manuscript investigates the efficacy of electromagnetic waves as a novel approach for airborne viruses inactivation in bioaerosol suspension, that is their natural route of transmission. Methods. Using a bioaerosol system in a controlled laboratory environment, different variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the human influenza virus were exposed to resonant radiated microwaves within safe power levels. Results. Radiated microwaves exposure led to a substantial reduction in the infectivity of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the delta and omicron variants, achieving 80-90% reduction in infectivity. These variants exhibited susceptibility to the resonant radiated microwaves similar to the original Wuhan variant of SARS-CoV-2, confirming the effectiveness of this approach against a range of SARS-CoV-2 strains. Furthermore, the H1N1 human influenza virus displayed a 90% reduction in infectivity when exposed to microwave waves. However, the influenza virus exhibited distinctive response patterns, being susceptible to higher frequencies (up to 16 GHz) compared to SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, longer exposure times (5 minutes) were required to achieve the same level of inactivation observed in SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of radiated microwaves as a strategy for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. Further, they contribute to determining the optimal frequencies, exposure times, and power levels required for effective virus inactivation. This innovative approach could provide valuable insights for developing sanitization strategies and public health interventions to mitigate the airborne transmission of respiratory viruses.

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