Plasmacluster ions also proved effective against 26 other kinds of harmful airborne substances, including bacteria, mold fungi, viruses and allergens.

"The device is the first in the world to have been proven effective against avian virus," Sharp spokeswoman Miyuki Nakayama said.

Plasmacluster ion technology, developed in 2000, is an air-purification technology that disables airborne micro-organisms by releasing positive and negative ions into the air.

The Osaka-based company began five months of experiments, testing the technology on bird flu in collaboration with British research institute Retroscreen Virology Ltd, in January before announcing the results.

The virus was sprayed into a one-cubic meter (1.3-cubic yard) box, then plasmacluster ions were turned on. Samples were then taken at 10 minute intervals and injected into cell cultures.

The experiment showed that 99 percent of the H5N1 virus was eliminated.

"Four days after injection, the cells injected with the virus that had not been exposed to plasmacluster ions were deformed and damaged (by the virus).

"In contrast, cells injected with the virus that had been exposed to plasmacluster ions retained their normal condition with almost no change in evidence," the company said in a statement.

The H5N1 virus has been fingered as a possible new strain of flu that could prove devastating if it genetically mutates and develops the capacity to be transmitted from human-to-human.

"People's concern about bird flu is still high, especially in Asia, which suffered the outbreak," Nakayama said. "We hope our product can help eliminate the virus."

The technology can be installed in air conditioners, dehumidifiers and air purifiers for home and industrial use.

Fifty-four people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia have died after being infected with H5N1 from birds.

Sharp shares fell 12 yen or 0.71 percent to close at 1,669 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday while the benchmark Nikkei-225 index fell 0.47 percent.

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