Researchers from the University Hospitals Case Medical Center after two separate studies developed Halo Oral Antiseptic, a first-of-its kind germ-fighting spray.
"Respiratory tract disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Halo is unique in that it offers protection from airborne germs such as influenza and rhino virus," Frank Esper, lead author of one of the studies, said.
Esper and his team used glycerine and xanthan gum as a microbial barrier combined with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as a broad-spectrum anti-infective agent to fight respiratory illnesses.
To test this, clinical strains of 2009 pandemic H1N1 were used as a prototype virus to demonstrate Halo's anti-infective activity in cell culture assays.
"The glycerine and xanthan gum prevent the germs from entering a person's system and the CPC kills the germs once they're trapped there," Esper said in a statement.
Halo will have clear benefit to aid against infection and reduce disease from epidemic, sporadic or pandemic respiratory viral infections, Esper believes.
Preliminary data from researchers in another study led by Mahmoud Ghannoum found that Halo completely killed all 11 clinical strains of whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis) against which the spray was tested.
The results showed that when a person used three sprays of Halo, it destroyed airborne germs breathed in for up to six hours, even when people were eating and drinking.
The concept of coating the back of the oral cavity to prevent germs from entering and then providing sustained antiseptic action to kill airborne germs was developed by a Cleveland company, Oasis Consumer Healthcare.
The findings were presented in San Francisco at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).
