Ordinary mouthwashes kill coronaviruses
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.30 seconds could be enough to neutralize the coronavirus with a commercially available mouthwash solution. At least laboratory experiments show that this works in principle. Further studies will have to show whether it eliminates coronaviruses in the throat just as reliably when gargling, the scientists write.
Coronavirus multiplies strongly in the throat
In the throat, the SARS-CoV-2 multiplies particularly strongly at the beginning of a corona infection. That is why it can be transmitted so easily when coughing, laughing, speaking, and even breathing. Previous research with other viruses, including SARS, MERS, and the H5N1 flu virus, suggests that gargling with mouthwashes could reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 being passed on - and perhaps even the spread of the virus down the throat of someone freshly infected.
Eight mouthwashes tested
Toni Luise Meister from the Ruhr University Bochum and her colleagues analyzed the virus-killing effect of eight common mouthwash solutions with various active ingredients. Various SARS-CoV-2 strains reacted very sensitively to various mouthwashes.
Pathogen can no longer be detected in some cases
Of the eight rinses tested, all significantly reduced the amount of virus. Three of them were so effective that the virus could no longer be detected afterwards. One of them contained the active ingredient combination dequalinium chloride and benzalkonium chloride, a second contained polyvidone iodine, and a third contained ethanol and essential oils.
The scientists had tested the effect of the mouthwash with isolated SARS-CoV-2 pathogens in a substance that simulated nasal secretions. "Oral antisepsis can reduce the number of infectious virus particles and consequently the risk of transmission or infection," the researchers conclude.
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