The virus can be contracted from contaminated food or water, person-to-person contact, and contact with contaminated surfaces, meaning surfaces made from copper could effectively shut down one avenue of infection.
Professor Bill Keevil from the
University’s Institute for Life Sciences has shown that norovirus was rapidly destroyed on copper and its alloys, with those containing more than 60% copper proving particularly effective. The contamination model used was designed to simulate fingertip-touch contamination of surfaces.
“The virus can remain infectious on solid surfaces and is also resistant to many cleaning solutions," Professor Keevil explained. "That means it can spread to people who touch these surfaces, causing further infections and maintaining the cycle of infectionl. Copper surfaces, like door handles and taps, can disrupt the cycle and lower the risk of outbreaks.”
The research as presented at the American Society for Microbiology’s 2013 General Meeting in Denver, Colorado. The authors were Professor Bill Keevil and Sarah Warnes of the University of Southampton.
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