tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Dis
. 2022 May 5;jiac170.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac170. Online ahead of print.
Low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by fomites - a clinical observational study in highly infectious COVID-19 patients
Toni Luise Meister[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marielen Dreismeier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elena Vidal Blanco[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yannick Brüggemann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Natalie Heinen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Günter Kampf[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Daniel Todt[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Huu Phuc Nguyen[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jörg Steinmann[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Wolfgang Ekkehard Schmidt[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Eike Steinmann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniel Robert Quast[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stephanie Pfaender[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: The contribution of droplet-contaminated surfaces for virus transmission has been discussed controversially in the context of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Importantly, the risk of fomite-based transmission has not been systematically addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate if confirmed hospitalized COVID-19 patients can contaminate stainless steel carriers by coughing or intensive moistening with saliva and to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission upon detection of viral loads and infectious virus in cell culture.
Methods: We initiated a single-center observational study including fifteen COVID-19 patients with a high baseline viral load (CT value ≤ 25). We documented clinical and laboratory parameters and used patient samples to perform virus culture, quantitative PCR and virus sequencing.
Results: Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs of all patients were positive for viral RNA on the day of the study. Infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be isolated from 6 patient swabs (46.2 %). While after coughing, no infectious virus could be recovered, intensive moistening with saliva resulted in successful viral recovery from steel carriers of 5 patients (38.5 %).
Conclusions: Transmission of infectious SARS-CoV-2 via fomites is possible upon extensive moistening, but unlikely to occur in real-life scenarios and from droplet-contaminated fomites.
Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2; cough; environmental stability; fomites; surfaces; transmission.
. 2022 May 5;jiac170.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac170. Online ahead of print.
Low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by fomites - a clinical observational study in highly infectious COVID-19 patients
Toni Luise Meister[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marielen Dreismeier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elena Vidal Blanco[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yannick Brüggemann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Natalie Heinen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Günter Kampf[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Daniel Todt[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Huu Phuc Nguyen[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jörg Steinmann[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Wolfgang Ekkehard Schmidt[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Eike Steinmann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniel Robert Quast[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stephanie Pfaender[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35512326
- DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac170
Abstract
Background: The contribution of droplet-contaminated surfaces for virus transmission has been discussed controversially in the context of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Importantly, the risk of fomite-based transmission has not been systematically addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate if confirmed hospitalized COVID-19 patients can contaminate stainless steel carriers by coughing or intensive moistening with saliva and to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission upon detection of viral loads and infectious virus in cell culture.
Methods: We initiated a single-center observational study including fifteen COVID-19 patients with a high baseline viral load (CT value ≤ 25). We documented clinical and laboratory parameters and used patient samples to perform virus culture, quantitative PCR and virus sequencing.
Results: Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs of all patients were positive for viral RNA on the day of the study. Infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be isolated from 6 patient swabs (46.2 %). While after coughing, no infectious virus could be recovered, intensive moistening with saliva resulted in successful viral recovery from steel carriers of 5 patients (38.5 %).
Conclusions: Transmission of infectious SARS-CoV-2 via fomites is possible upon extensive moistening, but unlikely to occur in real-life scenarios and from droplet-contaminated fomites.
Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2; cough; environmental stability; fomites; surfaces; transmission.