Insect repellent ingredient may protect against novel coronavirus, UK study finds
London, Aug 27 (PTI) An active compound found in insect repellents may provide protection from a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to a preliminary study conducted by the UK's defense laboratory.
Scientists at Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) said in a statement that Citriodiol, the active ingredient in repellents such as Mosi-guard, had anti-viral properties if mixed with the virus in the liquid phase and on a test surface.
"Mixing a virus suspension with Mosi-guard spray or selected constituent components resulted in a reduction in SARS-CoV-2," according to the yet-to-be-published findings.
However, it is unclear whether the spray would make any practical difference beyond frequent hand-washing and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers in protecting against the virus.
Citriodiol is derived from the leaves and twigs of Eucalyptus citriodora tree and is marketed as a natural alternative to Deet, another ingredient used in insect repellents.
The military scientists adopted two experimental approaches. The first approach assessed the anti-viral activity of the product when applied directly to the virus as a liquid drop.
In the second method, assessment of the product was done following its application to latex 'synthetic skin'.
The study found that one-minute liquid suspension tests indicated that Mosi-guard has anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate if mixed with the virus in the liquid phase.
"Additionally, viral studies on latex indicated that Mosi-guard had antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate," the scientists said in a statement.
The scientists said they are sharing their preliminary findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, in the hope that further research will be carried out.
"This research paper demonstrates preliminary findings on the effectiveness of Citriodiol against COVID-19," the statement said.
"DSTL is hopeful that the findings in this research can be used as a springboard for other organizations to expand and develop the research, as well as to confirm the findings in this publication," it said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
