A potential surrogate for poliovirus in testing the efficacy of hand antiseptics according to the Global Poliovirus Containment Action Plan.

As part of the global poliovirus containment program (Global Polio Eradication Initiative, GPEI), European laboratories are increasingly restricted from using the long-established poliovirus type 1 strain LSc-2ab as the reference virus in virucidal efficacy testing of disinfectants.This necessitates the identification of an alternative test virus that closely resembles poliovirus in its chemical resistance, belongs to the picornaviridae family, and is suitable for routine laboratory handling. In this study, two strains of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) were evaluated as potential substitutes in quantitative suspension tests (according to EN 14476) using five biocidal active substances: ethanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, glutaral (glutaraldehyde) and peracetic acid. The results demonstrated a strong correlation between the inactivation profiles of EMCV and Sabin poliovirus type 1 vaccine strain LSc-2ab. Due to this close correlation and EMCV's practical advantages in laboratory settings such as availability in a European virus bank, growth in a high titer, it is proposed as a suitable substitution candidate for future virucidal efficacy testing.