Preliminary findings of the research show that a product in insect repellent can kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Scientists conducted the study to see if insect repellents would provide a protective layer against COVID-19, which contains Citriodiol, a clinically proven insect repellent.
In the study, DSTL was tasked by MoD Surgeon General to examine the antiviral activity of Citriodiol, and Mosi-Guard Natural spray against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The team of researchers adopted two approaches of the antiviral activity of the product – when directly applied to the virus as a liquid drop and assessment of the product after application to latex synthetic skin.
The trials
Two trials were conducted by the researchers. In the standard assay, the team mixed a virus suspension with Mosi-guard Natural spray, or selected constituent components have reduced the SARS-CoV-2 strain, England-2, isolate titers after just one minute. The first trial confirmed that the product containing 30 percent Citriodiol had a significant effect on SARS-CoV-2. Even after slightly diluting the mixture, the product still demonstrated at least 99.99 percent inactivation of the coronavirus within just one minute.
In the second test, the team studied the effect of Mosi-guard Natural on a surface after drying off any alcohol in the product. They found that the product had reduced the viruses on the surface by up to 99 percent almost immediately and continued to do so over the next four hours. After four hours, about 99.99 percent of the virus particles had been inactivated. These experiments used the SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate, which was isolated from a patient in the United Kingdom, mentioned the scientists.