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Carvacrol, the primary active component in oregano oil, effectively kills norovirus, a common cause of food-borne illness in hospitals, schools, and cruise ships.

The compound works by breaking down the tough outer coat of the virus, which is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea around the world. While unpleasant, most people recover fully within a few days of being infected. But for people with an existing serious medical problem, the highly infectious virus can be dangerous.

“Carvacrol could potentially be used as a food sanitizer and possibly as a surface sanitizer, particularly in conjunction with other antimicrobials,” says Kelly Bright, associate research scientist in the department of soil, water, and environmental science at the University of Arizona. “We have some work to do to assess its potential but carvacrol is an interesting prospect.”

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The human form of norovirus is challenging to work with and is resistant to most antimicrobials, like hydrogen peroxide, bleach, ammonia, and alcohol.

“It’s a very tough virus,” Bright says. “Norovirus can survive for weeks and even months in the environment, which makes it so prevalent on cruise ships and sometimes causes repeat outbreaks. When a ship returns to port after an outbreak, they clean it from top to bottom to remove the contamination, but it is sometimes impossible to get it all, especially on carpeted and upholstered surfaces.”

For a new study, published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, researchers determined whether oregano oil and carvacrol, the primary active component in oregano oil, are effective against mouse norovirus. In the experiments, oregano oil had limited efficacy, but carvacrol resulted in a nearly 10,000-fold reduction in viral infectivity within an hour. In other words, it is 99.99 percent effective against the virus.

Better than bleach?

“Carvacrol does not act as quickly as bleach, which will act in minutes or even seconds, but it is still effective,” Bright says. “If you put bleach on a surface, organic matter like vomit will use up the bleach, leaving little behind to kill the virus. Carvacrol, on the other hand, is not as sensitive to organic matter because it comes from plants. It takes a little bit longer but it has a longer-lasting antimicrobial residue on surfaces.”

In addition, since carvacrol is a plant compound, it is generally regarded as safe for human consumption, Bright says. “You could use it on foods such as fresh produce or meats and on food contact surfaces in the kitchen where you would not want to use some other types of antimicrobial agents.”

This is also the first study that looks at the mechanism of breakdown in detail of a plant antimicrobial on a nonenveloped virus, Bright says. Those viruses lack the thin biological “wrapper” that surround enveloped viruses such as the flu virus and others that are often at home in the respiratory tract.

Because of the fragile nature of this wrapping surface, those viruses break down more easily in the environment.

Nonenveloped viruses like noroviruses tend to be the ones that target the gastrointestinal tract. Their tough outer protein shell—called the capsid—makes them resistant against stomach acid and allows them to travel through the gastrointestinal tract unharmed. The research shows the exact mechanism of how the plant compound kills a nonenveloped virus.

Effects are likely irreversible

“Carvacrol acts directly on the virus’ outer shell and breaks it down,” Bright says. “The virus needs that capsid to attach to the human cell, so if you break down that shell, it won’t be able to cause an infection. In addition, it breaks down the virus’ RNA genome. These effects are therefore likely irreversible, so the mechanism of action is an example of true virus inactivation.”

The good news is that because carvacrol acts on the external proteins of the virus, it is unlikely that norovirus would ever develop resistance. It is also safe, noncorrosive, and won’t produce any noxious fumes or harmful byproducts. This makes it particularly attractive for use in settings where people are likely to be sensitive to traditional bleach or alcohol-based cleaners, such as schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, child day care centers, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative funded the study.

Source: University of Arizona