Application of Real Time PCR to identify residual bio-decontamination pf confined environments after hydrogen peroxide vapor treatment :preliminary results.

Abstract This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) to remove biological contamination in a confined environment. Decontamination after the dispersion of biological aerosol is a main issue from a civilian, public health and military perspective. Despite the effectiveness of aggressive substances, eco-friendly but still efficient methods for decontamination are a relevant demand. The hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) decontamination method is among the most recent technologies in the field. Microbiological and molecular biology techniques are commonly used to detect and identify biological contamination, but many of them are time consuming and requires advanced training for the operators who perform the analysis. In case of CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) event, detection,identification and removal of the hazardous agent is paramount;in this kind of scenario, civilian and military forces are the first actor involved and they are responsible for these actions. Thus, itis essential that these operations becomes as quick and easy as possible.In this work, a combination of commercially available equipment for detection, identification and decontamination, was evaluated in partnership between the Italian Army, the Department of Industrial Engineering and the School of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata with the aim of finding a preliminary setup to implement in case of Biological events. This work was focused on evaluating a) the effectiveness of HPV as bio-decontaminant in case of biological aerosol dispersion in a confined environment, and b) the usefulness of Real-Time PCR as a technique to identify residual bio-.contamination.Preliminary results for decontamination with HPV show that, despite the death of the microorganisms, nucleic acids are not completely degraded, suggesting the need for further efforts to identify a more efficient, eco-friendly method for biological decontamination.