Activity of an alkaline 'cleaner' in the inactivation of the scrapie agent.

The capacity of a routinely available alkaline cleaner for medical devices to inactivate the causative agent of a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) was tested. The co-incubation of brain homogenates, prepared from terminally ill scrapie-infected hamsters, with the cleaner led to the denaturation of misfolded protein as the proteinase K-resistant prion protein was no longer detectable after such treatment. In addition, intra-cerebral inoculation of hamsters with the alkaline cleaner-treated and subsequently neutralized samples reduced the level of infectivity of the material below the limit of detection. This report shows the possibility that a routinely available alkaline cleaner could reduce the infectivity of TSE agents and so minimize the risk of iatrogenic transmission of TSEs by asymptomatic carriers. This study is intended to encourage further investigations in this field.