Will it be a problem if I accidentally get my hands on the red liquid in the virus sampling tube?

I believe that everyone has had the experience of doing nucleic acid testing, and many have served as "tube supervisors". The liquid in the virus sampling tube is pink, like grapefruit juice, which is very cute. What is this pink liquid? If you accidentally get it on your hands, will there be any problem?

What is the red liquid in the virus sampling tube? The red liquid in the virus sampling tube is called virus preservation liquid . At present, the virus sampling tubes we most commonly use are mainly inactivated types .

What are the ingredients of viral nucleic acid preservation solution?

The main components of inactivated virus preservation solution are guanidine salt, bisimidazolid, phenol red, buffer solution, etc.

What do these ingredients do? Are they toxic?

Guanidine salt is one of the important components of virus preservation solution. Guanidine is a very strong monobasic base with an alkalinity similar to that of sodium hydroxide. It can absorb carbon dioxide in the air to form carbonate. Guanidine is unstable under alkaline conditions and is easily hydrolyzed into ammonia and urea. It is relatively stable under acidic conditions, so it is generally made into guanidine salt for preservation. Commonly used guanidine salts include guanidine isothiocyanate or guanidine hydrochloride. Guanidine salt is a commonly used protein denaturant, which can destroy the protein shell on the surface of the virus, thereby making the virus lose its activity and ability to infect. Since guanidine salts will eventually hydrolyze into ammonia and urea in aqueous solution, and ammonia will be converted into urea under liver metabolism, the toxicity of guanidine salts can basically be equivalent to that of urea. Excess urea will be excreted in our body through the kidneys with urine. The preservation solution also contains a certain amount of diimidazole, which is usually used as a preservative because of its certain bactericidal and antibacterial effects. Some of our commonly used facial masks and lotions also have it added. There is basically no risk of low-dose contact.

Don't worry if it gets on your skin, just rinse it off with clean water.

Phenol red is an acid-base indicator. It is red in a neutral environment, purple in an alkaline environment, and yellow in an acidic environment. If the preservation solution is contaminated with bacteria (commonly seen when the preservation solution fails or the sample carries bacteria), the pH value of the liquid will drop and it will turn from red to yellow. In addition, the buffer in the virus preservation solution can maintain a relatively stable pH value; other ingredients will ensure that the viral nucleic acid will not be lysed in a short period of time. Therefore, the main functions of the virus preservation solution are to inactivate viruses, kill bacteria and inhibit bacteria, maintain pH, and ensure the stability of nucleic acids.

If it gets on your hands accidentally, don't worry too much, just rinse it off with clean water. At the same time, we also want to remind everyone that although the liquid in the tube looks cute and pink, it should not get on the conjunctiva of the eyes or the oral and nasal mucosa. If it gets on the above parts accidentally, please go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

Source: Beijing Science and Technology News