Contact person
Lucia Gonzales Strömberg
Forskare
Contact LuciaViral Filtration Efficiency (VFE)
The VFE test determines how well a given material filters virus-containing droplets of about 3 microns in size.
Purpose
The “Viral filtration efficiency” (VFE) test is a modification of the SS-EN 14683 standard, which uses the bacteriophage ΦX174 as the challenge organism.
Method
A material with filtration properties is clamped between a six-stage cascade impactor and an aerosol chamber. An aerosol of bacteriophage ΦX174 is introduced into the aerosol chamber and drawn through the filter material and the impactor under vacuum. The VFE of the tested material is given by the number of plaque forming units passing through the material expressed as a percentage of the number of plaque forming units present in the challenge aerosol. A higher VFE means that the material has higher effectivity to function as a barrier against viruses.
The test is done in a BSL-2 laboratory and can be performed with other types of bacteriophages on request.
Deliveries
The test results and conclusions are presented in a written report.
