Scientists Discover That Ultrasound Can Destroy Viruses 0 16

The authors of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports decided to test whether standard medical ultrasound scanners would work against viruses. These scanners are typically kept in hospitals for examining internal organs. Such scanners operate at high frequencies ranging from 3 to 20 megahertz with low acoustic wave power.

The researchers irradiated Petri dishes containing suspensions of several strains of live coronavirus and influenza A virus (H1N1), writes Doctorpiter.

After that, the researchers measured each particle using laser dynamic light scattering. Additionally, the authors of the experiment studied their structure under microscopes and then checked whether the viruses could infect. For the final stage, they attempted to infect a culture of live monkey kidney cells with the treated pathogens. Before starting the experiment, the live cells were also irradiated using ultrasound. During each of the procedures, the scientists monitored the temperature and acidity of the liquid.

It turned out that 5–30 minutes of irradiation at a frequency of 7.5 megahertz was sufficient for the viruses to lose their shape or completely disintegrate.

Under the microscope, they resembled popped popcorn: the procedure ruptured their lipid membrane. The Wuhan strain of COVID-19 almost completely lost its ability to penetrate cells after irradiation. Furthermore, the temperature and acidity levels in the test tubes did not change during the experiment. This means that the viral particles were damaged specifically by mechanical action, rather than through a chemical reaction or due to high temperature.

The authors of the experiment found that the viruses were destroyed by acoustic resonance. The physical parameters of the virus matched the megahertz frequencies of the ultrasound device. The virus particle absorbed the kinetic energy of the acoustic wave, began to vibrate intensely, and ruptured. However, mammalian cells do not respond to this frequency, so the irradiation did not damage them.

For now, this is only about laboratory research, but according to bb.lv, this discovery could help in developing new ways to combat viral infections in the future.