Live virus survives excimer laser ablation.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether live virus can withstand excimer laser ablation and pose a possible health hazard to medical personnel.


METHODS
Experimental study.


METHODS
Fibroblasts infected with oral polio vaccine virus were ablated with an excimer laser. The plume was collected using a smoke evacuator and bubbled through viral culture media.


METHODS
The inlet tube from the smoke evacuator was swabbed and cultured for virus. Liquid from the bubble trap was also cultured.


RESULTS
Live virus was shown in the material trapped from the laser plume.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral polio vaccine virus can survive excimer laser ablation. Whether other more clinically relevant viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus, can withstand ablation and remain infectious remains to be determined.
Taravella
M J
MJ
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA. Michael.Taravella@uchsc.edu
Weinberg
A
A
May
M
M
Stepp
P
P
D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology*; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D014776:Virus Cultivation