tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Total Environ
. 2021 Jan 10;751:142317.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142317. Epub 2020 Sep 8.
Evidences of SARS-CoV-2 virus air transmission indoors using several untouched surfaces: A pilot study
Esteban Orenes-Pi?ero[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francisco Ba?o[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Diana Navas-Carrillo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Antonio Moreno-Doc?n[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Juana Mar?a Mar?n[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Roc?o Misiego[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Pablo Ram?rez[SUP] 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Nowadays, there is an important controversy about coronavirus air transmission. The aim of this study was to determine aerosol transmission from patients with coronavirus infection using "COVID-19 traps" that included different untouched surfaces within them. 42 swab samples of 6 different surfaces placed in the rooms of 6 patients with a positive diagnostic of COVID-19 were analyzed with RT-PCR technique to evaluate the presence of the virus and its stability. Samples were collected at 24, 48 and 72 h. Patients were in an intensive care unit (ICU) and in a COVID-19 ward unit (CWU) at a Spanish referral hospital. None of the samples placed in the ICU unit were positive for COVID-19. However, two surfaces, placed in a CWU room with a patient that required the use of respiratory assistance were positive for coronavirus at 72 h. Surfaces could not be touched by patients or health workers, so viral spreading was unequivocally produced by air transmission. Thus, fomites should be considered as a possible mode of transmission of coronavirus and frequent disinfection of surfaces should be taken into account. Our results, although preliminary, point the importance of SARS-CoV-2 virus air transmission indoors and may shed some light in this debate.
Keywords: Aerosol transmission; COVID-19 traps; Coronavirus; RT-PCR; Untouched surfaces.
. 2021 Jan 10;751:142317.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142317. Epub 2020 Sep 8.
Evidences of SARS-CoV-2 virus air transmission indoors using several untouched surfaces: A pilot study
Esteban Orenes-Pi?ero[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Francisco Ba?o[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Diana Navas-Carrillo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Antonio Moreno-Doc?n[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Juana Mar?a Mar?n[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Roc?o Misiego[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Pablo Ram?rez[SUP] 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33182011
- DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142317
Abstract
Nowadays, there is an important controversy about coronavirus air transmission. The aim of this study was to determine aerosol transmission from patients with coronavirus infection using "COVID-19 traps" that included different untouched surfaces within them. 42 swab samples of 6 different surfaces placed in the rooms of 6 patients with a positive diagnostic of COVID-19 were analyzed with RT-PCR technique to evaluate the presence of the virus and its stability. Samples were collected at 24, 48 and 72 h. Patients were in an intensive care unit (ICU) and in a COVID-19 ward unit (CWU) at a Spanish referral hospital. None of the samples placed in the ICU unit were positive for COVID-19. However, two surfaces, placed in a CWU room with a patient that required the use of respiratory assistance were positive for coronavirus at 72 h. Surfaces could not be touched by patients or health workers, so viral spreading was unequivocally produced by air transmission. Thus, fomites should be considered as a possible mode of transmission of coronavirus and frequent disinfection of surfaces should be taken into account. Our results, although preliminary, point the importance of SARS-CoV-2 virus air transmission indoors and may shed some light in this debate.
Keywords: Aerosol transmission; COVID-19 traps; Coronavirus; RT-PCR; Untouched surfaces.