Efficacy of Wex-Cide 128 Against Prion Strains

Executive Summary:

Estimated time to read the full study: 30 min

Prion diseases are transmissible, fatal neurologic diseases that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, and scrapie in sheep. Prions are extremely difficult to inactivate, and established methods to reduce prion infectivity are often dangerous, caustic, expensive, or impractical.

• A recent study from Rocky Mountain Laboratory sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Wex-Cide 128, one of our phenolic disinfectants, against prions from various species compared to a similar product, Environ LpH (eLpH).
• The results indicate that Wex-Cide 128 is highly effective against prions from hamsters, cervids, and mice, reducing infectivity by 4.0–5.5 logs.
• However, it showed limited efficacy against human sporadic CJD, reducing infectivity by only 1.25–1.50 logs, highlighting the need for strain-specific inactivation methods.

Wex-Cide 128 emerges as a promising alternative for mitigating prion contamination across various species. Its strengths lie in providing a safer and more pragmatic choice for prion decontamination, particularly in research environments.

Characteristics of Wex-Cide 128:

• Appearance: Clear to slightly cloudy transparent liquid
• Odor: Light citrus
• pH: 2.50 – 2.90
• Water solubility: Complete (100%)
• Non-dermal irritant
• Exhibits virucidal, germicidal, fungicidal, and tuberculocidal efficacy