Comparative Evaluation of Modified Vaccinia Ankara as a Surrogate Virus for Disinfectant Efficacy Testing Against AIV, FMDV, and ASFV

Surrogate viruses provide a safe and scalable alternative for evaluating disinfectant efficacy when access to high-risk pathogens is restricted. This study evaluated the potential of Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus, which can be handled under BSL-1/2 conditions, as a surrogate for avian influenza virus (AIV), foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), and African swine fever virus (ASFV). A total of 64 commercially available disinfectants—classified into four major chemical groups: quaternary ammonium compounds, oxidizing agents, PPMS-based formulations, and organic acids—were tested in suspension assays using a ≥4 log reduction as the efficacy criterion. MVA showed the strongest predictive performance for FMDV (r = 0.671, AUC = 0.83), supporting its use for both binary classification and approximate quantitative prediction. Although its correlation with ASFV was weaker (r = 0.175), the classification performance remained moderate (AUC = 0.78), indicating conditional applicability. While MVA exhibited no meaningful correlation with AIV, its higher chemical resistance meant that disinfectants effective against MVA were consistently effective against AIV. These results support the use of MVA as a conservative exclusion tool for fragile viruses. Overall, the findings demonstrate that MVA can serve as a practical surrogate virus for disinfectant efficacy testing against FMDV, ASFV, and AIV, with application strategies tailored to each virus’s characteristics.