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J Public Health Res. 2019 Dec 4;8(3):1407. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2019.1407. eCollection 2019 Dec 4. Monitoring for airborne respiratory viruses in a general pediatric ward in Singapore.
Yadana S1, Coleman KK1, Nguyen TT1, Hansen-Estruch C2, Kalimuddin S3, Thoon KC4, Low JGH1,3, Gray GC1,5,6.
Author information
1 Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. 2 Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, USA. 3 Department of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. 4 Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Disease Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore. 5 Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine and Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. 6 Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China.
Abstract
There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that transmission of respiratory viruses occurs through the inhalation of virus-laden particles. Our study describes the use of an aerosol sampling system to monitor the prevalence of airborne viruses in a hospital setting. Using SKC AirCheck Touch pumps, with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) bioaerosol samplers and SKC filter cassette blanks, 28 aerosol samples were collected in a hospital ward in Singapore. Following DNA/RNA extraction, real-time RT-PCR/PCR was used for the detection of influenza A, B and D viruses, coronaviruses, enteroviruses, and adenoviruses. Airborne virus was detected in nine (32%) of 28 samples. Among the nine positive samples, eight were PCR-positive for adenovirus and one for influenza A virus. Our data suggest that bioaerosol sampling could be valuable in monitoring for airborne respiratory viruses in clinical environments to better understand the risk of infection during a hospital visit.
?Copyright: the Author(s), 2019.
KEYWORDS:
adenovirus; aerosol; influenza virus; respiratory viruses; surveillance
PMID: 31857987 PMCID: PMC6902309 DOI: 10.4081/jphr.2019.1407
Free PMC Article