Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2020 5:28:56 GMT
British scientists have discovered that an active ingredient found in insect repellent can kill COVID-19, according to a report.
Researchers at the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory determined that Citriodiol can help fight coronavirus in a preliminary study, Sky News reported.
Insect repellents containing Citriodiol are not believed to be enough alone to protect people from the virus but can be used as an additional layer of defense along with face masks, hand washing and other health recommendations, according to the report.
Citriodiol — which has approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency — is derived from the leaves and twigs of the eucalyptus citriodora tree.
Jacqueline Watson, managing director of Citrefine, which produces the naturally sourced active ingredient, previously said she was optimistic that it could help stop the spread of the virus.
“What we can say is that we do feel there is a very good chance it could work against this virus but it does of course need to be thoroughly tested,” she said.
Defence scientists subsequently conducted research to see whether it would provide a protective layer against COVID-19, with those results being released on Wednesday.
The company that produces Citriodiol also believed it could offer protection against the novel coronavirus.
Jacqueline Watson, managing director of Citrefine International Ltd, said in April she would like the government to support a formal testing programme.
Scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) are sharing their preliminary findings so others are able to conduct further research, Sky News understands.
Britain's armed forces were issued with an insect repellent that contains a product called Citriodiol because it was believed it might offer a new layer of protection against COVID-19, Sky News revealed in April.bCitriodiol is already known to kill other types of coronavirus.
The report by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) looked at Mosi-guard Natural spray, produced by Citrefine. The team carried out two experimental approaches. They looked at the anti-viral activity when sprayed directly onto the virus, and how it performed when sprayed onto a latex "synthetic skin."
Tests showed Mosi-guard Natural had anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2 when mixed with the virus in the liquid phase. Anti-viral activity was also detected in the latex experiments.
The report noted some caveats. For example, the synthetic skin is a representative surface and human skin may react differently. They also did not test the change in performance over time.
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: "Dstl's latest research shows that sprays containing Citriodiol, which have been made available to MOD units engaged in the Covid response, can kill the virus. We are sharing our preliminary findings today so others can take forward additional research to confirm and expand on our findings."
Experimental survival of SARS-CoV-2 on an insect-repellent-treated surface
Dstl was tasked by MoD Surgeon General to examine the anti-viral activity of Mosi-guard Natural® spray against SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Details
Dstl has been supporting the COVID19 response since February through lab based research and testing, and deployment of scientific staff across Government. From working in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) and the National Health Service (NHS) to studying how the virus behaves, Dstl scientists are playing a vital role in the Government’s coronavirus response. Since the start of the pandemic, Dstl scientists have sped up testing patients for the virus, produced vital fluid used to test PPE ensuring NHS staff were kept safe and published research on how the virus survives in different environments.
As part of the scientific contribution to understanding the virus, Dstl has also built a Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostics capability, and provided key expertise in assessment, statistics and analysis capability. The PCR is a method widely used to rapidly make millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample, allowing scientists to take a very small sample of DNA and amplify it to a large enough amount to study in detail.
Dstl was tasked by the Surgeon General to determine the level of anti-viral activity of Mosi-guard Natural® spray against Covid-19 virus, of which Citriodiol is an ingredient.
Two experimental approaches were adopted: assessment of the anti-viral activity of the product when applied directly to the virus as a liquid drop, and assessment of the product following its application to latex ‘synthetic skin’.
One minute liquid suspension tests indicated that Mosi-guard Natural® has anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate if mixed with the virus in the liquid phase. Additionally, viral studies on latex indicated that Mosi-guard Natural had antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate.
This research paper demonstrates preliminary findings on the effectiveness of Citriodiol against COVID-19. The publication of this work is intended to act as the foundation for other scientific bodies who are researching the virus and possible solutions. Dstl is hopeful that the findings in this research can be used as a springboard for other organizations to expand and develop the research, as well as to confirm the findings in this publication.
Published 26 August 2020
Researchers at the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory determined that Citriodiol can help fight coronavirus in a preliminary study, Sky News reported.
Insect repellents containing Citriodiol are not believed to be enough alone to protect people from the virus but can be used as an additional layer of defense along with face masks, hand washing and other health recommendations, according to the report.
Citriodiol — which has approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency — is derived from the leaves and twigs of the eucalyptus citriodora tree.
Jacqueline Watson, managing director of Citrefine, which produces the naturally sourced active ingredient, previously said she was optimistic that it could help stop the spread of the virus.
“What we can say is that we do feel there is a very good chance it could work against this virus but it does of course need to be thoroughly tested,” she said.
Defence scientists subsequently conducted research to see whether it would provide a protective layer against COVID-19, with those results being released on Wednesday.
The company that produces Citriodiol also believed it could offer protection against the novel coronavirus.
Jacqueline Watson, managing director of Citrefine International Ltd, said in April she would like the government to support a formal testing programme.
Scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) are sharing their preliminary findings so others are able to conduct further research, Sky News understands.
Britain's armed forces were issued with an insect repellent that contains a product called Citriodiol because it was believed it might offer a new layer of protection against COVID-19, Sky News revealed in April.bCitriodiol is already known to kill other types of coronavirus.
The report by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) looked at Mosi-guard Natural spray, produced by Citrefine. The team carried out two experimental approaches. They looked at the anti-viral activity when sprayed directly onto the virus, and how it performed when sprayed onto a latex "synthetic skin."
Tests showed Mosi-guard Natural had anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2 when mixed with the virus in the liquid phase. Anti-viral activity was also detected in the latex experiments.
The report noted some caveats. For example, the synthetic skin is a representative surface and human skin may react differently. They also did not test the change in performance over time.
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: "Dstl's latest research shows that sprays containing Citriodiol, which have been made available to MOD units engaged in the Covid response, can kill the virus. We are sharing our preliminary findings today so others can take forward additional research to confirm and expand on our findings."
Experimental survival of SARS-CoV-2 on an insect-repellent-treated surface
Dstl was tasked by MoD Surgeon General to examine the anti-viral activity of Mosi-guard Natural® spray against SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Details
Dstl has been supporting the COVID19 response since February through lab based research and testing, and deployment of scientific staff across Government. From working in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) and the National Health Service (NHS) to studying how the virus behaves, Dstl scientists are playing a vital role in the Government’s coronavirus response. Since the start of the pandemic, Dstl scientists have sped up testing patients for the virus, produced vital fluid used to test PPE ensuring NHS staff were kept safe and published research on how the virus survives in different environments.
As part of the scientific contribution to understanding the virus, Dstl has also built a Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostics capability, and provided key expertise in assessment, statistics and analysis capability. The PCR is a method widely used to rapidly make millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample, allowing scientists to take a very small sample of DNA and amplify it to a large enough amount to study in detail.
Dstl was tasked by the Surgeon General to determine the level of anti-viral activity of Mosi-guard Natural® spray against Covid-19 virus, of which Citriodiol is an ingredient.
Two experimental approaches were adopted: assessment of the anti-viral activity of the product when applied directly to the virus as a liquid drop, and assessment of the product following its application to latex ‘synthetic skin’.
One minute liquid suspension tests indicated that Mosi-guard Natural® has anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate if mixed with the virus in the liquid phase. Additionally, viral studies on latex indicated that Mosi-guard Natural had antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate.
This research paper demonstrates preliminary findings on the effectiveness of Citriodiol against COVID-19. The publication of this work is intended to act as the foundation for other scientific bodies who are researching the virus and possible solutions. Dstl is hopeful that the findings in this research can be used as a springboard for other organizations to expand and develop the research, as well as to confirm the findings in this publication.
Published 26 August 2020
