Clin Infect Dis . Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19

[tetano]

Clin Infect Dis


. 2020 Oct 3;ciaa1517.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1517. Online ahead of print.
Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19


Ryohei Hirose[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Hiroshi Ikegaya[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yuji Naito[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Naoto Watanabe[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Takuma Yoshida[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Risa Bandou[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Tomo Daidoji[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yoshito Itoh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Takaaki Nakaya[SUP] 1 [/SUP]



Affiliations

• PMID: 33009907
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1517

Abstract

Background: The stability of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on human skin remains unknown, considering the hazards of viral exposure to humans. We generated a model that allows the safe reproduction of clinical studies on the application of pathogens to human skin and elucidated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on the human skin.
Methods: We evaluated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV), mixed with culture medium or upper respiratory mucus, on human skin surfaces and the dermal disinfection effectiveness of 80% (w/w) ethanol against SARS-CoV-2 and IAV.
Results: SARS-CoV-2 and IAV were inactivated more rapidly on skin surfaces than on other surfaces (stainless steel/glass/plastic); the survival time was significantly longer for SARS-CoV-2 than for IAV [9.04 h (95% confidence interval: 7.96-10.2 h) vs. 1.82 h (1.65-2.00 h)]. IAV on other surfaces was inactivated faster in mucus versus medium conditions, while SARS-CoV-2 showed similar stability in the mucus and medium; the survival time was significantly longer for SARS-CoV-2 than for IAV [11.09 h (10.22-12.00 h) vs. 1.69 h (1.57-1.81 h)]. Moreover, both SARS-CoV-2 and IAV in the mucus/medium on human skin were completely inactivated within 15 s by ethanol treatment.
Conclusions: The 9-h survival of SARS-CoV-2 on human skin may increase the risk of contact transmission in comparison with IAV, thus accelerating the pandemic. Proper hand hygiene is important to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; hand hygiene; human skin; influenza A virus; stability.

 

[sharon sanders]

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[Mary Wilson]

Coronavirus can live on skin for 9 hours, Japanese researchers say

By Catherine Park
Published 1 hour ago

Researchers from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan found that the novel coronavirus can survive on human skin for approximately nine hours, which is significantly longer than the flu virus.

The study, published in a journal of Oxford Academic in Clinical Infectious Diseases on Oct. 3, was a joint effort among the university’s Department of Infectious Diseases, Department of Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Department of Forensics Medicine aimed to highlight the importance of handwashing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.fox6now.com/news/coronavirus-can-live-on-skin-for-9-hours-japanese-researchers-say

How to wash your hands properly, according to the CDC
It's a five-step process. But don't worry -- it's simple.
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
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*Study, mentioned in above article:

Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19

Ryohei Hirose, Hiroshi Ikegaya, Yuji Naito, Naoto Watanabe, Takuma Yoshida, Risa Bandou, Tomo Daidoji, Yoshito Itoh, Takaaki Nakaya
Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa1517, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1517

Published: 03 October 2020

https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa1517/5917611