| abstract |
A substrate such as medical or veterinary equipment or tissue are decontaminated to remove infectious agents by contacting the substrate with an effective amount of a guanidium compound such as guanidine thiocyanate. Equipment such as surgical or dental instruments are decontaminated by immersion or wetting with a guanidium compound composition, or wiping the surfaces with a material embedded or coated with a guanidium compound composition. Potentially infective tissue and tissue products are typically decontaminated by direct application of a guanidium compound composition to the biological material. One exemplary embodiment employs solutions containing at least about 3 M guanidine thiocyanate. Compositions useful in the practice of the invention may contain adjunct ingredients such as detergents, other wetting agents, stabilizers, and the like. In some embodiments, decontamination methods of the invention include other steps such as heating, sonication, and soaking to enhance the disinfectant effect. |