tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Nat Commun
. 2024 Mar 5;15(1):2003.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45400-1. Frequency, kinetics and determinants of viable SARS-CoV-2 in bioaerosols from ambulatory COVID-19 patients infected with the Beta, Delta or Omicron variants
S Jaumdally[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], M Tomasicchio[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Pooran[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Esmail[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Kotze[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], S Meier[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], L Wilson[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], S Oelofse[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], C van der Merwe[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Roomaney[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], M Davids[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], T Suliman[SUP] 3 [/SUP], R Joseph[SUP] 4 [/SUP], T Perumal[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Scott[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], M Shaw[SUP] 3 [/SUP], W Preiser[SUP] 5 [/SUP], C Williamson[SUP] 4 6 7 [/SUP], A Goga[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], E Mayne[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP], G Gray[SUP] 13 [/SUP], P Moore[SUP] 6 14 15 [/SUP], A Sigal[SUP] 16 17 18 [/SUP], J Limberis[SUP] 19 [/SUP], J Metcalfe[SUP] 19 [/SUP], K Dheda[SUP] 20 21 22 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol remains contentious. Importantly, whether cough or breath-generated bioaerosols can harbor viable and replicating virus remains largely unclarified. We performed size-fractionated aerosol sampling (Andersen cascade impactor) and evaluated viral culturability in human cell lines (infectiousness), viral genetics, and host immunity in ambulatory participants with COVID-19. Sixty-one percent (27/44) and 50% (22/44) of participants emitted variant-specific culture-positive aerosols <10μm and <5μm, respectively, for up to 9 days after symptom onset. Aerosol culturability is significantly associated with lower neutralizing antibody titers, and suppression of transcriptomic pathways related to innate immunity and the humoral response. A nasopharyngeal Ct <17 rules-in ~40% of aerosol culture-positives and identifies those who are probably highly infectious. A parsimonious three transcript blood-based biosignature is highly predictive of infectious aerosol generation (PPV > 95%). There is considerable heterogeneity in potential infectiousness i.e., only 29% of participants were probably highly infectious (produced culture-positive aerosols <5μm at ~6 days after symptom onset). These data, which comprehensively confirm variant-specific culturable SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol, inform the targeting of transmission-related interventions and public health containment strategies emphasizing improved ventilation.
. 2024 Mar 5;15(1):2003.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45400-1. Frequency, kinetics and determinants of viable SARS-CoV-2 in bioaerosols from ambulatory COVID-19 patients infected with the Beta, Delta or Omicron variants
S Jaumdally[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], M Tomasicchio[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Pooran[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Esmail[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Kotze[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], S Meier[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], L Wilson[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], S Oelofse[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], C van der Merwe[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Roomaney[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], M Davids[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], T Suliman[SUP] 3 [/SUP], R Joseph[SUP] 4 [/SUP], T Perumal[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], A Scott[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], M Shaw[SUP] 3 [/SUP], W Preiser[SUP] 5 [/SUP], C Williamson[SUP] 4 6 7 [/SUP], A Goga[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], E Mayne[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP], G Gray[SUP] 13 [/SUP], P Moore[SUP] 6 14 15 [/SUP], A Sigal[SUP] 16 17 18 [/SUP], J Limberis[SUP] 19 [/SUP], J Metcalfe[SUP] 19 [/SUP], K Dheda[SUP] 20 21 22 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38443359
- PMCID: PMC10914788
- DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45400-1
Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol remains contentious. Importantly, whether cough or breath-generated bioaerosols can harbor viable and replicating virus remains largely unclarified. We performed size-fractionated aerosol sampling (Andersen cascade impactor) and evaluated viral culturability in human cell lines (infectiousness), viral genetics, and host immunity in ambulatory participants with COVID-19. Sixty-one percent (27/44) and 50% (22/44) of participants emitted variant-specific culture-positive aerosols <10μm and <5μm, respectively, for up to 9 days after symptom onset. Aerosol culturability is significantly associated with lower neutralizing antibody titers, and suppression of transcriptomic pathways related to innate immunity and the humoral response. A nasopharyngeal Ct <17 rules-in ~40% of aerosol culture-positives and identifies those who are probably highly infectious. A parsimonious three transcript blood-based biosignature is highly predictive of infectious aerosol generation (PPV > 95%). There is considerable heterogeneity in potential infectiousness i.e., only 29% of participants were probably highly infectious (produced culture-positive aerosols <5μm at ~6 days after symptom onset). These data, which comprehensively confirm variant-specific culturable SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol, inform the targeting of transmission-related interventions and public health containment strategies emphasizing improved ventilation.