Why is soap effective against coronavirus?

With the Covid-19 epidemic spreading, rules to limit its spread have been published by the WHO and Public Health France. Among these, hand washing is surely the simplest but also the most effective. Here's how the soap eliminates the virus.

SARS-COV-2 pandemic: should you be worried? Health measures are being taken by all European governments to limit the spread of the virus. Should we be worried about the current pandemic?

Since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic, the first hygiene measure recommended is to wash your hands regularly with soap and water. The coronavirus is excreted from the body by microdroplets which contain virions infectious when sneezing or coughing. If, by reflex, we put our hand in front of our mouth, it is also contaminated and contaminating!

Telephone, door handle, and especially the hand of a loved one, everything we touch can then be contaminated and participate the spread of the disease. But does a gesture as simple as washing your hands thoroughly and regularly effectively limit its spread? The answer is yes, this is how it works.

How soap neutralizes viruses

The soap is obtained from a mixture offatty acid and a strong base (sodium hydroxide or from potassium). The molecules the component are amphiphiles and their structure can be compared to that of a pin. The head of the pin is hydrophilic while the stem is made up of a long chain of fatty acid, hydrophobic.

The envelope of some virus looks like these micelles. Enveloped viruses borrow a piece of membrane from infected cells, which also consists of phospholipids, amphiphiles, in addition to others protein viral, especially those necessary for infection (protein S). The coronavirus, but also flu virus, the HIV, and still others, have a lipid envelope. There are also enveloped viruses called naked viruses.

In water, amphiphilic molecules can remain free or form micelles, a kind of bubble where amphiphilic molecules organize themselves so that their hydrophilic head is in contact with water and the hydrophobic tails in the middle.

When we wash our hands, the hydrophobic tail of the free molecules of soap tries to avoid water, it then attaches to the lipid envelope of viruses and disorganizes it. A virus enveloped without a functional lipid envelope is no longer infectious.

Soap also helps break down chemical bonds non-covalent (hydrophobic bonds and hydrogen bonds) which allow microorganisms of hang on to surfaces. The micelles can surround a membrane debris and take it with them into the water when rinsing.

The right steps to wash your hands effectively

For this to be effective, you must follow a few rules issued by the World Health Organization:

  • wet your hands completely;

  • soap your hands for at least thirty seconds;

  • remember to rub the palms of the hands to the wrist, between the fingers and nails ;

  • rinse;

  • dry hands with a clean towel or disposable;

  • close the tap with a towel.

Ideally, hands should be washed after frequenting a collective place, after being in contact with a sick person or a potentially contaminated surface, before and after eating.

The hydroalcoholic solutions can be used to troubleshoot in transport or when soap is not available. They containalcohol and have an effect similar to soap, but are not as effective. They disinfect but do not clean your hands. In addition, some have antibacterial agents that have no effect on viruses.

This will also interest you

Did you like this article ? Don't hesitate to share it with your friends and help us to promote ABSMARTHEALTH :)! The editorial team thanks you.