Comparison and Validation of Three Fumigation Methods to Inactivate Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly pathogenic and transmissible disease of cloven-hoofed animals with outbreaks having severe impact on livestock production. FMDV is generally studied in high- to maximum-containment laboratories to prohibit the virus from escaping into the environment. Formaldehyde is still the method of choice for fumigation of rooms and HEPA filters at FMDV facilities. However, formaldehyde, having been shown to be carcinogenic, should ideally be replaced by other, less hazardous methods. Here we show validation results for two different hydrogen peroxide fumigation methods and compare these to formaldehyde fumigation. The results identify hydrogen peroxide as a suitable alternative to formaldehyde fumigation.