ShellCoat, a Calcinated Calcium Solution, Effectively Inactivates SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2, an acute respiratory syndrome-causing virus, suddenly emerged at the end of 2019 in China, and rapidly spread all over the world. In this study, we examined whether a calcinated calcium solution (ShellCoat) , which has been approved as a food additive in Japan can inactivate SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, antiviral activity of ShellCoat against SARS-CoV-2 was also evaluated in the presence of organic matter, namely, fetal bovine serum (FBS) . When concentrated SARS-CoV-2 were treated with ShellCoat for 10 sec in presence or absence of FBS as organic matters, the viral titer was decreased more than 4 logs 50% tissue culture infective dose per mL (TCID₅₀/mL) but use of ShellCoat for 20 sec or more under similar experimental conditions the viral titer was below the detection limit (≦2.1 logs TCID₅₀/mL) . These results clearly indicate that the ShellCoat is a powerful antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2 even in the presence of organic matters.