Removal of a Natural Toxin Surrogate from Water, Material Surfaces, and Reusable Medical Devices

Water and reusable medical device surfaces can be contaminated by natural toxins such as ricin either accidentally or intentionally. This report focuses on the removal of peanut lectin (PL), a ricin surrogate, from water and reusable medical devices and materials. An ELISA assay was used to determine if commercially available water filters could remove peanut lectin from water, and if commercially available cleaning/ disinfecting wipes could denature peanut lectin from the surfaces of various medical device materials. Several medical devices and materials were tested to evaluate their surface retention of peanut lectin following cleaning. Reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and combination mechanical barrier systems were effective in removing peanut lectin from water. Wipes containing sodium hypochlorite were most effective in completely denaturing peanut lectin within 2 minutes of contact. The efficacy of removal of peanut lectin from the surfaces of six medical device materials and three medical devices ranged from 76% to 102% and 64% to 103%, respectively.