Which Disinfectants Target Common Viruses in the Veterinary Hospital Setting?

Meri Hall, RVT, CVT, LVT, LATG, VTS (SAM), veterinary technician of internal medicine, from Veterinary Specialty Hospital of Palm Beach Gardens, explains which non-bleach disinfectants would work against viruses.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“Bleach has its place, but in the current veterinary field we have much better cleaners and much better disinfection agents. Things such as quaternary ammoniums [are useful] and there’s so many of them to list; roccal is a quaternary ammonium that a lot of hospitals use. The newer products that are on the market, such as the accelerated hydrogen peroxides, [have] been shown in a lot of studies to be very effective against the parvovirus, which is our number one concern. Everything should be tested against the parvovirus as far as its ability to actually disinfect. I think that having chlorhexidines in the hospitals [and] having iodine products [is important]; they all have their place for the specific disease processes.

For the specific viruses that we have out there, [the] quaternary ammoniums are going to take care of the majority of them, if they’re used appropriately at the right concentration and the right time-contact with surfaces. But for parvovirus, things such as bleaches, or the accelerated hydrogen peroxides are very important to have in the hospital. For things such as leptospirosis, [use] products such as iodine [and] iodophors. Quaternary ammoniums do work on some surfaces [against] leptospirosis. But for most general hospitals, you should have a good supply of different products out there, because you can use them in combination.”