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Jaumdally S, Tomasicchio M, Pooran A, Esmail A, Kotze A, Meier S, Wilson L, Oelofse S, van der Merwe C, Roomaney A, Davids M, Suliman T, Joseph R, Perumal T, Scott A, Shaw M, Preiser W, Williamson C, Goga A, Mayne E, Gray G, Moore P, Sigal A, Limberis J, Metcalfe J, Dheda K. Frequency, kinetics and determinants of viable SARS-CoV-2 in bioaerosols from ambulatory COVID-19 patients infected with the Beta, Delta or Omicron variants. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2003. [PMID: 38443359 PMCID: PMC10914788 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45400-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jaumdally
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - M Tomasicchio
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - A Pooran
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - A Esmail
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - A Kotze
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - S Meier
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - L Wilson
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - S Oelofse
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - C van der Merwe
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - A Roomaney
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - M Davids
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - T Suliman
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - R Joseph
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - T Perumal
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - A Scott
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - M Shaw
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - W Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch Tygerberg Campus; Medical Virology, National Health Laboratory Service Tygerberg, Parow, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - C Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Cape Town, South Africa
| | - A Goga
- HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - E Mayne
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - G Gray
- South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - P Moore
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- SA MRC Antibody Immunity Research Unit, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - A Sigal
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - J Limberis
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Centre, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - J Metcalfe
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Centre, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - K Dheda
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Centre for the Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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2
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Mondal M, Chakrabarti S, Gao YQ, Bhattacharyya D, Chakrabarti J. Microscopic model on indoor propagation of respiratory droplets. Comput Biol Chem 2023; 102:107806. [PMID: 36608615 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2022.107806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Indoor propagation of airborne diseases is yet poorly understood. Here, we theoretically study a microscopic model based on the motions of virus particles in a respiratory microdroplet, responsible for airborne transmission of diseases, to understand their indoor propagation. The virus particles are driven by a driving force that mimics force due to gushing of air by devices like indoor air conditioning along with the gravity. A viral particle within the droplet experiences viscous drag due to the droplet medium, force due to interfacial tension at the droplet boundary, the thermal forces and mutual interaction forces with the other viral particles. We use Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations and scaling arguments to study the motion of the droplet, given by that of the center of mass of the viral assembly. The BD simulations show that in presence of the gravity force alone, the time the droplet takes to reach the ground level, defined by the gravitational potential energy being zero, from a vertical height H,tf∼γ-0.1 dependence, where γ is the interfacial tension. In presence of the driving force of magnitude F0 and duration τ0, the horizontal propagation length, Ymax from the source increase linearly with τ0, where the slope is steeper for larger F0. Our scaling analysis explains qualitatively well the simulation observations and show long-distance transmission of airborne respiratory droplets in the indoor conditions due to F0 ∼ nano-dyne.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manas Mondal
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518107, China.
| | - Srabani Chakrabarti
- Department of Physics, Lady Brabourne College, P-1/2, Suhrawardy Avenue, Kolkata 700017, West Bengal, India.
| | - Yi Qin Gao
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518107, China; Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Dhananjay Bhattacharyya
- Computational Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, India.
| | - Jaydeb Chakrabarti
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Macro-Molecular Sciences, Thematic unit of Excellence on Computational Materials Science and Technical Research Centre, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098, India.
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3
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Hadavi I, Hashemi M, Asadikaram G, Kalantar-Neyestanaki D, Hosseininasab A, Darijani T, Faraji M. Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Genome in the Indoor Air and High-Touch Surfaces. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 16:103. [PMID: 36267501 PMCID: PMC9568984 DOI: 10.1007/s41742-022-00462-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the presence/absence of SARS-CoV-2 genome in the air and high-touch surfaces. This cross-sectional study was conducted from late-2020 to mid-2021 in the sections of Intensive Care Unit (ICU), emergency, infectious disease ward, and nursing station of the COVID-19 patient reception center in Kerman, Iran. The presence/absence of SARS-CoV-2 genome in the 60 samples of high-touch surfaces and 23 air samples was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fisher's exact test was used to compare the number of positive samples in different sampling sites. The genome of SARS-CoV-2 was found in the eight samples (13.32%) taken from the high-touch surfaces (two samples in COVID-19 ICU, two samples in general ICU, two samples in emergency ward, and two samples in nursing station) and two air samples (8.70%) (one sample in the general ICU and one sample in the emergency ward). Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the type of sampling site and the positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the surface samples (p value = 0.80) and air samples (p value = 0.22). According to the results, the SARS-CoV-2 can find in the high-touch surfaces and indoor air of the COVID-19 patient reception centers. Therefore, suitable safety and health measures should be taken, including regular and accurate disinfection of surfaces and equipment and proper ventilation to protect healthcare workers and prevent disease transmission. More studies are recommended to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 concentration in the high-touch surfaces and air samples in the similar researches, efficacy of different disinfectants used on the high-touch surfaces and compare the effect of type of ventilation (natural or mechanical) on the viral load.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Hadavi
- Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Majid Hashemi
- Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Gholamreza Asadikaram
- Department of Biochemistry, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Davood Kalantar-Neyestanaki
- Medical Mycology and Bacteriology Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- Department of Medical Microbiology (Bacteriology and Virology), Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ali Hosseininasab
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Tooba Darijani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Maryam Faraji
- Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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4
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Rohra H, Pipal AS, Satsangi PG, Taneja A. Revisiting the atmospheric particles: Connecting lines and changing paradigms. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 841:156676. [PMID: 35700785 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Historically, the atmospheric particles constitute the most primitive and recent class of air pollutants. The science of atmospheric particles erupted more than a century ago covering more than four decades of size, with past few years experiencing major advancements on both theoretic and data-based observational grounds. More recently, the plausible recognition between particulate matter (PM) and the diffusion of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the accretion of interest in particle science. With motivation from diverse particle research interests, this paper is an 'old engineer's survey' beginning with the evolution of atmospheric particles and identifies along the way many of the global instances signaling the 'size concept' of PM. A theme that runs through the narrative is a 'previously known' generational evolution of particle science to the 'newly procured' portfolio of knowledge, with important gains on the application of unmet concepts and future approaches to PM exposure and epidemiological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshi Rohra
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Atar Singh Pipal
- Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Human Health, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taishan, New Taipei 243089, Taiwan
| | - P G Satsangi
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Ajay Taneja
- Department of Chemistry, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra 282002, India.
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5
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Turcinovic J, Schaeffer B, Taylor BP, Bouton TC, Odom-Mabey AR, Weber SE, Lodi S, Ragan EJ, Connor JH, Jacobson KR, Hanage WP. Understanding early pandemic SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a medical center by incorporating public sequencing databases to mitigate bias. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:1704-1711. [PMID: 35993116 PMCID: PMC9452097 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Throughout the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have faced risk of infection from within the workplace via patients and staff as well as from the outside community, complicating our ability to resolve transmission chains in order to inform hospital infection control policy. Here we show how the incorporation of sequences from public genomic databases aided genomic surveillance early in the pandemic when circulating viral diversity was limited. Methods We sequenced a subset of discarded, diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 isolates between March and May 2020 from Boston Medical Center HCWs and combined this data set with publicly available sequences from the surrounding community deposited in GISAID with the goal of inferring specific transmission routes. Results Contextualizing our data with publicly available sequences reveals that 73% (95% confidence interval, 63%–84%) of coronavirus disease 2019 cases in HCWs are likely novel introductions rather than nosocomial spread. Conclusions We argue that introductions of SARS-CoV-2 into the hospital environment are frequent and that expanding public genomic surveillance can better aid infection control when determining routes of transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn Turcinovic
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Beau Schaeffer
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bradford P Taylor
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tara C Bouton
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aubrey R Odom-Mabey
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Computational Biomedicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah E Weber
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sara Lodi
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Ragan
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John H Connor
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karen R Jacobson
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - William P Hanage
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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6
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Jimenez JL, Marr LC, Randall K, Ewing ET, Tufekci Z, Greenhalgh T, Tellier R, Tang JW, Li Y, Morawska L, Mesiano‐Crookston J, Fisman D, Hegarty O, Dancer SJ, Bluyssen PM, Buonanno G, Loomans MGLC, Bahnfleth WP, Yao M, Sekhar C, Wargocki P, Melikov AK, Prather KA. What were the historical reasons for the resistance to recognizing airborne transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic? INDOOR AIR 2022; 32:e13070. [PMID: 36040283 PMCID: PMC9538841 DOI: 10.1111/ina.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The question of whether SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted by droplets or aerosols has been highly controversial. We sought to explain this controversy through a historical analysis of transmission research in other diseases. For most of human history, the dominant paradigm was that many diseases were carried by the air, often over long distances and in a phantasmagorical way. This miasmatic paradigm was challenged in the mid to late 19th century with the rise of germ theory, and as diseases such as cholera, puerperal fever, and malaria were found to actually transmit in other ways. Motivated by his views on the importance of contact/droplet infection, and the resistance he encountered from the remaining influence of miasma theory, prominent public health official Charles Chapin in 1910 helped initiate a successful paradigm shift, deeming airborne transmission most unlikely. This new paradigm became dominant. However, the lack of understanding of aerosols led to systematic errors in the interpretation of research evidence on transmission pathways. For the next five decades, airborne transmission was considered of negligible or minor importance for all major respiratory diseases, until a demonstration of airborne transmission of tuberculosis (which had been mistakenly thought to be transmitted by droplets) in 1962. The contact/droplet paradigm remained dominant, and only a few diseases were widely accepted as airborne before COVID-19: those that were clearly transmitted to people not in the same room. The acceleration of interdisciplinary research inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that airborne transmission is a major mode of transmission for this disease, and is likely to be significant for many respiratory infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose L. Jimenez
- Department of Chemistry and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Linsey C. Marr
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | | | | | - Zeynep Tufekci
- School of JournalismColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Trish Greenhalgh
- Department of Primary Care Health SciencesMedical Sciences DivisionUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Julian W. Tang
- Department of Respiratory SciencesUniversity of LeicesterLeicesterUK
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Hong KongHong KongChina
| | - Lidia Morawska
- International Laboratory for Air Quality and HeathQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | | | - David Fisman
- Dalla Lana School of Public HealthUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Orla Hegarty
- School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental PolicyUniversity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Stephanie J. Dancer
- Department of MicrobiologyHairmyres Hospital, Glasgow, and Edinburgh Napier UniversityGlasgowUK
| | - Philomena M. Bluyssen
- Faculty of Architecture and the Built EnvironmentDelft University of TechnologyDelftThe Netherlands
| | - Giorgio Buonanno
- Department of Civil and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Cassino and Southern LazioCassinoItaly
| | - Marcel G. L. C. Loomans
- Department of the Built EnvironmentEindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)EindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - William P. Bahnfleth
- Department of Architectural EngineeringThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Maosheng Yao
- College of Environmental Sciences and EngineeringPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Chandra Sekhar
- Department of the Built EnvironmentNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Pawel Wargocki
- Department of Civil EngineeringTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Arsen K. Melikov
- Department of Civil EngineeringTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Kimberly A. Prather
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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7
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Jefferson T, Heneghan CJ, Spencer E, Brassey J, Plüddemann A, Onakpoya I, Evans D, Conly J. A Hierarchical Framework for Assessing Transmission Causality of Respiratory Viruses. Viruses 2022; 14:1605. [PMID: 35893670 PMCID: PMC9332164 DOI: 10.3390/v14081605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Systematic reviews of 591 primary studies of the modes of transmission for SARS-CoV-2 show significant methodological shortcomings and heterogeneity in the design, conduct, testing, and reporting of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. While this is partly understandable at the outset of a pandemic, evidence rules of proof for assessing the transmission of this virus are needed for present and future pandemics of viral respiratory pathogens. We review the history of causality assessment related to microbial etiologies with a focus on respiratory viruses and suggest a hierarchy of evidence to integrate clinical, epidemiologic, molecular, and laboratory perspectives on transmission. The hierarchy, if applied to future studies, should narrow the uncertainty over the twin concepts of causality and transmission of human respiratory viruses. We attempt to address the translational gap between the current research evidence and the assessment of causality in the transmission of respiratory viruses with a focus on SARS-CoV-2. Experimentation, consistency, and independent replication of research alongside our proposed framework provide a chain of evidence that can reduce the uncertainty over the transmission of respiratory viruses and increase the level of confidence in specific modes of transmission, informing the measures that should be undertaken to prevent transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Jefferson
- Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, UK;
| | - Carl J. Heneghan
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; (C.J.H.); (E.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Elizabeth Spencer
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; (C.J.H.); (E.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Jon Brassey
- Trip Database Ltd., Little Maristowe, Glasllwch Lane, Newport NP20 3PS, UK;
| | - Annette Plüddemann
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; (C.J.H.); (E.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Igho Onakpoya
- Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, UK;
| | - David Evans
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada;
| | - John Conly
- Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Precision Laboratories, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada;
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8
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Onakpoya IJ, Heneghan CJ, Spencer EA, Brassey J, Plüddemann A, Evans DH, Conly JM, Jefferson T. SARS-CoV-2 and the role of close contact in transmission: a systematic review. F1000Res 2022; 10:280. [PMID: 36398277 PMCID: PMC9636487 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.52439.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2 transmission has been reported to be associated with close contact with infected individuals. However, the mechanistic pathway for transmission in close contact settings is unclear. Our objective was to identify, appraise and summarise the evidence from studies assessing the role of close contact in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Methods: This review is part of an Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2. We conduct ongoing searches using WHO Covid-19 Database, LitCovid, medRxiv, PubMed and Google Scholar; assess study quality based on the QUADAS-2 criteria and report important findings on an ongoing basis. Results: We included 278 studies: 258 primary studies and 20 systematic reviews. The settings for primary studies were predominantly in home/quarantine facilities (39.5%) and acute care hospitals (12%). The overall reporting quality of the studies was low-to-moderate. There was significant heterogeneity in design and methodology. The frequency of attack rates (PCR testing) varied between 2.1-75%; attack rates were highest in prison and wedding venues, and in households. The frequency of secondary attack rates was 0.3-100% with rates highest in home/quarantine settings. Three studies showed no transmission if the index case was a recurrent infection. Viral culture was performed in four studies of which three found replication-competent virus; culture results were negative where index cases had recurrent infections. Eighteen studies performed genomic sequencing with phylogenetic analysis – the completeness of genomic similarity ranged from 77-100%. Findings from systematic reviews showed that children were significantly less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 and household contact was associated with a significantly increased risk of infection. Conclusions: The evidence from published studies demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted in close contact settings. The risk of transmission is greater in household contacts. There was a wide variation in methodology. Standardized guidelines for reporting transmission in close contact settings should be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igho J. Onakpoya
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
- Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Rewley house, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA, UK
| | - Carl J. Heneghan
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Elizabeth A. Spencer
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | | | - Annette Plüddemann
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - David H. Evans
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology,Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - John M. Conly
- University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services,, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - Tom Jefferson
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
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9
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Nagle S, Tandjaoui-Lambiotte Y, Boubaya M, Gerber A, Alloui C, Bloch-Queyrat C, Carbonnelle E, Brichler S, Cohen Y, Zahar JR, Delagrèverie H. Environmental SARS-CoV-2 contamination in hospital rooms of patients with acute COVID-19. J Hosp Infect 2022; 126:116-122. [PMID: 35569577 PMCID: PMC9098885 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2022.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Objective Data on the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain conflicting. Airborne transmission is still debated. However, hospital risk control requires better understanding of the different modes of transmission. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of, and factors associated with, environmental air and surface contamination in the rooms of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in the acute phase of the disease. Methods Sixty-five consecutive patients were included in this study. For each patient, seven room surfaces, air 1 m and 3 m from the patient's head, the inner surface of the patient's mask, and the outer surface of healthcare workers' (HCW) masks were sampled. Environmental contamination was assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA on surfaces, air and masks. A viral isolation test was performed on Vero cells for samples with an RT-qPCR cycle threshold (Ct) ≤37. Results SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by RT-qPCR in 34%, 12%, 50% and 10% of surface, air, patient mask and HCW mask samples, respectively. Infectious virus was isolated in culture from two samples among the 85 positive samples with Ct ≤37. On multi-variate analysis, only a positive result for SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR for patients' face masks was found to be significantly associated with surface contamination (odds ratio 5.79, 95% confidence interval 1.31–25.67; P=0.025). Conclusion This study found that surface contamination by SARS-CoV-2 was more common than air and mask contamination. However, viable virus was rare. The inner surface of a patient's mask could be used as a marker to identify those at higher risk of contamination.
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10
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Rufino de Sousa N, Steponaviciute L, Margerie L, Nissen K, Kjellin M, Reinius B, Salaneck E, Udekwu KI, Rothfuchs AG. Detection and isolation of airborne SARS-CoV-2 in a hospital setting. INDOOR AIR 2022; 32:e13023. [PMID: 35347788 PMCID: PMC9111425 DOI: 10.1111/ina.13023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Transmission mechanisms for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are incompletely understood. In particular, aerosol transmission remains unclear, with viral detection in air and demonstration of its infection potential being actively investigated. To this end, we employed a novel electrostatic collector to sample air from rooms occupied by COVID-19 patients in a major Swedish hospital. Electrostatic air sampling in conjunction with extraction-free, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (hid-RT-PCR) enabled detection of SARS-CoV-2 in air from patient rooms (9/22; 41%) and adjoining anterooms (10/22; 45%). Detection with hid-RT-PCR was concomitant with viral RNA presence on the surface of exhaust ventilation channels in patients and anterooms more than 2 m from the COVID-19 patient. Importantly, it was possible to detect active SARS-CoV-2 particles from room air, with a total of 496 plaque-forming units (PFUs) being isolated, establishing the presence of infectious, airborne SARS-CoV-2 in rooms occupied by COVID-19 patients. Our results support circulation of SARS-CoV-2 via aerosols and urge the revision of existing infection control frameworks to include airborne transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Rufino de Sousa
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC)Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Laura Steponaviciute
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC)Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Lucille Margerie
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC)Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Karolina Nissen
- Department of Medical SciencesInfectious DiseasesUppsala UniversityUniversity Hospital UppsalaUppsalaSweden
| | - Midori Kjellin
- Department of Medical SciencesInfectious DiseasesUppsala UniversityUniversity Hospital UppsalaUppsalaSweden
| | - Björn Reinius
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB)Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Erik Salaneck
- Department of Medical SciencesInfectious DiseasesUppsala UniversityUniversity Hospital UppsalaUppsalaSweden
| | - Klas I. Udekwu
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and AssessmentSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
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11
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Dinoi A, Feltracco M, Chirizzi D, Trabucco S, Conte M, Gregoris E, Barbaro E, La Bella G, Ciccarese G, Belosi F, La Salandra G, Gambaro A, Contini D. A review on measurements of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air in outdoor and indoor environments: Implication for airborne transmission. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 809:151137. [PMID: 34699823 PMCID: PMC8539199 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been object of debate in the scientific community since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. This mechanism of transmission could arise from virus-laden aerosol released by infected individuals and it is influenced by several factors. Among these, the concentration and size distribution of virus-laden particles play an important role. The knowledge regarding aerosol transmission increases as new evidence is collected in different studies, even if it is not yet available a standard protocol regarding air sampling and analysis, which can create difficulties in the interpretation and application of results. This work reports a systematic review of current knowledge gained by 73 published papers on experimental determination of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air comparing different environments: outdoors, indoor hospitals and healthcare settings, and public community indoors. Selected papers furnished 77 datasets: outdoor studies (9/77, 11.7%) and indoor studies (68/77. 88.3%). The indoor datasets in hospitals were the vast majority (58/68, 85.3%), and the remaining (10/68, 14.7%) were classified as community indoors. The fraction of studies having positive samples, as well as positivity rates (i.e. ratios between positive and total samples) are significantly larger in hospitals compared to the other typologies of sites. Contamination of surfaces was more frequent (in indoor datasets) compared to contamination of air samples; however, the average positivity rate was lower compared to that of air. Concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air were highly variables and, on average, lower in outdoors compared to indoors. Among indoors, concentrations in community indoors appear to be lower than those in hospitals and healthcare settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelaide Dinoi
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC-CNR), Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, Lecce, Italy
| | - Matteo Feltracco
- Istituto di Scienze Polari (ISP-CNR), Via Torino 155, Venice, Mestre, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, Via Torino 155, Venezia, Mestre, Italy
| | - Daniela Chirizzi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata (IZSPB), Via Manfredonia 20, Foggia, Italy
| | - Sara Trabucco
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC-CNR), Via Gobetti 101, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marianna Conte
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC-CNR), Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, Lecce, Italy; Laboratory for Observations and Analyses of Earth and Climate, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Gregoris
- Istituto di Scienze Polari (ISP-CNR), Via Torino 155, Venice, Mestre, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, Via Torino 155, Venezia, Mestre, Italy
| | - Elena Barbaro
- Istituto di Scienze Polari (ISP-CNR), Via Torino 155, Venice, Mestre, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, Via Torino 155, Venezia, Mestre, Italy
| | - Gianfranco La Bella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata (IZSPB), Via Manfredonia 20, Foggia, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Ciccarese
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata (IZSPB), Via Manfredonia 20, Foggia, Italy
| | - Franco Belosi
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC-CNR), Via Gobetti 101, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanna La Salandra
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata (IZSPB), Via Manfredonia 20, Foggia, Italy
| | - Andrea Gambaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, Via Torino 155, Venezia, Mestre, Italy
| | - Daniele Contini
- Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC-CNR), Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, Lecce, Italy.
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12
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Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from pre and asymptomatic infected individuals: a systematic review. Clin Microbiol Infect 2022; 28:178-189. [PMID: 34757116 PMCID: PMC8555342 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2021.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of SARS-Cov-2-infected persons who develop symptoms after testing (presymptomatics) or not at all (asymptomatics) in the pandemic spread is unknown. OBJECTIVES To determine infectiousness and probable contribution of asymptomatic persons (at the time of testing) to pandemic SARS-CoV-2 spread. DATA SOURCES LitCovid, medRxiv, Google Scholar, and WHO Covid-19 databases (to 31 March 2021) and references in included studies. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Studies with a proven or hypothesized transmission chain based either on serial PCR cycle threshold readings and/or viral culture and/or gene sequencing, with adequate follow-up. PARTICIPANTS People exposed to SARS-CoV-2 within 2-14 days to index asymptomatic (at time of observation) infected individuals. INTERVENTIONS Reliability of symptom and signs was assessed within contemporary knowledge; transmission likelihood was assessed using adapted causality criteria. METHODS Systematic review. We contacted all included studies' corresponding authors requesting further details. RESULTS We included 18 studies from a diverse setting with substantial methodological variation (this field lacks standardized methodology). At initial testing, prevalence of asymptomatic cases was 12.5-100%. Of these, 6-100% were later determined to be presymptomatic, this proportion varying according to setting, methods of case ascertainment and population. Nursing/care home facilities reported high rates of presymptomatic: 50-100% (n = 3 studies). Fourteen studies were classified as high risk of, and four studies as at moderate risk of symptom ascertainment bias. High-risk studies may be less likely to distinguish between presymptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Six asymptomatic studies and four presymptomatic studies reported culturing infectious virus; data were too sparse to determine infectiousness duration. Three studies provided evidence of possible and three of probable/likely asymptomatic transmission; five studies provided possible and two probable/likely presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 transmission. CONCLUSION High-quality studies provide probable evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from presymptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, with highly variable estimated transmission rates.
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13
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Lopes PH, Wellacott L, de Almeida L, Villavicencio LMM, Moreira ALDL, Andrade DS, Souza AMDC, de Sousa RKR, Silva PDS, Lima L, Lones M, do Nascimento JD, Vargas PA, Moioli RC, Blanco Figuerola W, Rennó-Costa C. Measuring the impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at a city level: An agent-based computational modelling study of the City of Natal. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2:e0000540. [PMID: 36962551 PMCID: PMC10021960 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic hit almost all cities in Brazil in early 2020 and lasted for several months. Despite the effort of local state and municipal governments, an inhomogeneous nationwide response resulted in a death toll amongst the highest recorded globally. To evaluate the impact of the nonpharmaceutical governmental interventions applied by different cities-such as the closure of schools and businesses in general-in the evolution and epidemic spread of SARS-CoV-2, we constructed a full-sized agent-based epidemiological model adjusted to the singularities of particular cities. The model incorporates detailed demographic information, mobility networks segregated by economic segments, and restricting bills enacted during the pandemic period. As a case study, we analyzed the early response of the City of Natal-a midsized state capital-to the pandemic. Although our results indicate that the government response could be improved, the restrictive mobility acts saved many lives. The simulations show that a detailed analysis of alternative scenarios can inform policymakers about the most relevant measures for similar pandemic surges and help develop future response protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Henrique Lopes
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Liam Wellacott
- Robotics Laboratory, Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Leandro de Almeida
- Physics Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica, Itajubá, MG, Brazil
| | | | - André Luiz de Lucena Moreira
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Dhiego Souto Andrade
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Alyson Matheus de Carvalho Souza
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | | | - Luciana Lima
- Demography Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Michael Lones
- Robotics Laboratory, Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Patricia A Vargas
- Robotics Laboratory, Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Renan Cipriano Moioli
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Robotics Laboratory, Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Wilfredo Blanco Figuerola
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Computer Science Department, State University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - César Rennó-Costa
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment of the Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Digital Metropolis Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Robotics Laboratory, Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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14
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Nazaroff WW. Indoor aerosol science aspects of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. INDOOR AIR 2022; 32:e12970. [PMID: 34873752 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge about person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is reviewed, emphasizing three components: emission of virus-containing particles and drops from infectious persons; transport and fate of such emissions indoors; and inhalation of viral particles by susceptible persons. Emissions are usefully clustered into three groups: small particles (diameter 0.1-5 µm), large particles (5-100 µm), and ballistic drops (>100 µm). Speaking generates particles and drops across the size spectrum. Small particles are removed from indoor air at room scale by ventilation, filtration, and deposition; large particles mainly deposit onto indoor surfaces. Proximate exposure enhancements are associated with large particles with contributions from ballistic drops. Masking and social distancing are effective in mitigating transmission from proximate exposures. At room scale, masking, ventilation, and filtration can contribute to limit exposures. Important information gaps prevent a quantitative reconciliation of the high overall global spread of COVID-19 with known transmission pathways. Available information supports several findings with moderate-to-high confidence: transmission occurs predominantly indoors; inhalation of airborne particles (up to 50 µm in diameter) contributes substantially to viral spread; transmission occurs in near proximity and at room scale; speaking is a major source of airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus; and emissions can occur without strong illness symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- William W Nazaroff
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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15
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Sobsey MD. Absence of virological and epidemiological evidence that SARS-CoV-2 poses COVID-19 risks from environmental fecal waste, wastewater and water exposures. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2022; 20:126-138. [PMID: 35100160 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2021.182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This review considers evidence for infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) presence and COVID-19 infection and illness resulting from exposure to environmental fecal wastes and waters. There is no documented evidence that (1) infectious, replication-capable SARS-CoV-2 is present in environmental fecal wastes, wastewater or water, and (2) well-documented epidemiological evidence of COVID-19 infection, illness or death has never been reported for these exposure media. COVID-19 is transmitted mainly by direct personal contact and respiratory secretions as airborne droplets and aerosols, and less so by respiratory-secreted fomites via contact (touch) exposures. While SARS-CoV-2 often infects the gastrointestinal tract of infected people, its presence as infectious, replication-capable virus in environmental fecal wastes and waters has never been documented. There is only rare and unquantified evidence of infectious, replication-capable SARS-CoV-2 in recently shed feces of COVID-19 hospital patients. The human infectivity dose-response relationship of SARS-CoV-2 is unknown, thereby making it impossible to estimate evidence-based quantitative health effects assessments by quantitative microbial risk assessment methods requiring both known exposure assessment and health effects assessment data. The World Health Organization, Water Environment Federation, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others do not consider environmental fecal wastes and waters as sources of exposure to infectious SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 infection and illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Sobsey
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA E-mail:
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16
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Rutter H, Parker S, Stahl-Timmins W, Noakes C, Smyth A, Macbeth R, Fitzgerald S, Freeman ALJ. Visualising SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes and mitigations. BMJ 2021; 375:e065312. [PMID: 34853080 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2021-065312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Simon Parker
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Salisbury, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Shaun Fitzgerald
- Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge, University of Cambridge, UK
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17
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Brought to Light: How Ultraviolet Disinfection Can Prevent the Nosocomial Transmission of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases. Appl Microbiol 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/applmicrobiol1030035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought to light the role of environmental hygiene in controlling disease transmission. Healthcare facilities are hot spots for infectious pathogens where physical distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) are not always sufficient to prevent disease transmission. Healthcare facilities need to consider adjunct strategies to prevent transmission of infectious pathogens. In combination with current infection control procedures, many healthcare facilities are incorporating ultraviolet (UV) disinfection into their routines. This review considers how pathogens are transmitted in healthcare facilities, the mechanism of UV microbial inactivation and the documented activity of UV against clinical pathogens. Emphasis is placed on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) as well as multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) that are commonly transmitted in healthcare facilities. The potential benefits and limitations of UV technologies are discussed to help inform healthcare workers, including clinical studies where UV technology is used in healthcare facilities.
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18
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Polianski IJ. Airborne infection with Covid-19? A historical look at a current controversy. Microbes Infect 2021; 23:104851. [PMID: 34126250 PMCID: PMC8193962 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2021.104851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts and the broader public have vigorously debated the means by which SARS CoV-2 is spread. And understandably so, for identifying the routes of transmission is crucial for selecting appropriate nonpharmaceutical interventions to control the pandemic. The most controversial question in the debate is the role played by airborne transmission. What is at stake is not just the clinical evidence, but the implications for public health policy, society, and psychology. Interestingly, however, the issue of airborne transmission is not a new controversy. It has reappeared throughout the history of western medicine. This essay traces the notion of airborne infection from its development in ancient medical theories to its manifestation in the modern era and its impact today.
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19
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Rosca EC, Heneghan C, Spencer EA, Brassey J, Plüddemann A, Onakpoya IJ, Evans DH, Conly JM, Jefferson T. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with aircraft travel: a systematic review. J Travel Med 2021; 28:taab133. [PMID: 34480171 PMCID: PMC8499932 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taab133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE FOR THE REVIEW Air travel may be associated with viruses spread via infected passengers and potentially through in-flight transmission. Given the novelty of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, transmission associated with air travel is based on transmission dynamics of other respiratory viruses. Our objective was to provide a rapid summary and evaluation of relevant data on SARS-CoV-2 transmission aboard aircraft, report policy implications and to highlight research gaps requiring urgent attention. METHODS We searched four electronic databases (1 February 2020-27 January 2021) and included studies on SARS-CoV-2 transmission aboard aircraft. We assessed study quality based on five criteria and reported important findings. KEY FINDINGS We included 18 studies on in-flight SARS-CoV-2 transmission (130 unique flights) and 2 studies on wastewater from aircraft. The quality of evidence from most published studies was low. Two wastewater studies reported PCR-positive samples with high cycle threshold values (33-39). Index case definition was heterogeneous across studies. The proportion of contacts traced ranged from 0.68 to 100%. Authors traced 2800/19 729 passengers, 140/180 crew members and 8/8 medical staff. Altogether, 273 index cases were reported, with 64 secondary cases. Three studies, each investigating one flight, reported no secondary cases. Secondary attack rate among studies following up >80% of passengers and crew (including data on 10 flights) varied between 0 and 8.2%. The studies reported on the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Two studies performed viral cultures with 10 positive results. Genomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed in individuals from four flights. CONCLUSION Current evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted during aircraft travel, but published data do not permit any conclusive assessment of likelihood and extent. The variation in design and methodology restricts the comparison of findings across studies. Standardized guidelines for conducting and reporting future studies of transmission on aircraft should be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena C Rosca
- Department of Neurology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Piata Eftimie Murgu 2, Timisoara 300041, Romania
| | - Carl Heneghan
- Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Elizabeth A Spencer
- Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Jon Brassey
- Trip Database Ltd, Glasllwch Lane, Newport NP20 3PS, UK
| | - Annette Plüddemann
- Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Igho J Onakpoya
- Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, UK
| | - David H Evans
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, Edmonton Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - John M Conly
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Synder Institute for Chronic Diseases and O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Calgary T2N 2T9, Canada
| | - Tom Jefferson
- Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, UK
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20
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Mallach G, Kasloff SB, Kovesi T, Kumar A, Kulka R, Krishnan J, Robert B, McGuinty M, den Otter-Moore S, Yazji B, Cutts T. Aerosol SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals and long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258151. [PMID: 34591919 PMCID: PMC8483369 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have quantified aerosol concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals and long-term care homes, and fewer still have examined samples for viability. This information is needed to clarify transmission risks beyond close contact. METHODS We deployed particulate air samplers in rooms with COVID-19 positive patients in hospital ward and ICU rooms, rooms in long-term care homes experiencing outbreaks, and a correctional facility experiencing an outbreak. Samplers were placed between 2 and 3 meters from the patient. Aerosol (small liquid particles suspended in air) samples were collected onto gelatin filters by Ultrasonic Personal Air Samplers (UPAS) fitted with <2.5μm (micrometer) and <10 μm size-selective inlets operated for 16 hours (total 1.92m3), and with a Coriolis Biosampler over 10 minutes (total 1.5m3). Samples were assayed for viable SARS-CoV-2 virus and for the viral genome by multiplex PCR using the E and N protein target sequences. We validated the sampling methods by inoculating gelatin filters with viable vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and with three concentrations of viable SARS-CoV-2, operating personal samplers for 16hrs, and quantifying viable virus recovery by TCID50 assay. RESULTS In total, 138 samples were collected from 99 rooms. RNA samples were positive in 9.1% (6/66) of samples obtained with the UPAS 2.5μm samplers, 13.5% (7/52) with the UPAS 10μm samplers, and 10.0% (2/20) samples obtained with the Coriolis samplers. Culturable virus was not recovered in any samples. Viral RNA was detected in 15.1% of the rooms sampled. There was no significant difference in viral RNA recovery between the different room locations or samplers. Method development experiments indicated minimal loss of SARS-CoV-2 viability via the personal air sampler operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Mallach
- Water and Air Quality Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Samantha B. Kasloff
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Tom Kovesi
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Anand Kumar
- Sections of Critical Care Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Departments of Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Ryan Kulka
- Water and Air Quality Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Jay Krishnan
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Benoit Robert
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Michaeline McGuinty
- Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Bashour Yazji
- Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Todd Cutts
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada
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21
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Abstract
AbstractMist is generated by ultrasonic cavitation of water (Fisher Biograde, pH 5.5–6.5) at room temperature (20–25 °C) in open air with nearly constant temperature (22–25 °C) but varying relative humidity (RH; 24–52%) over the course of many months. Water droplets in the mist are initially about 7 μm in diameter at about 50% RH. They are collected, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is measured using commercial peroxide test strips and by bromothymol blue oxidation. The quantification method is based on the Fenton chemistry of dye degradation to determine the oxidation capacity of water samples that have been treated by ultrasonication. It is found that the hydrogen peroxide concentration varies nearly linearly with RH over the range studied, reaching a low of 2 parts per million (ppm) at 24% RH and a high of 6 ppm at 52% RH. Some possible public health implications concerning the transmission of respiratory viral infections are suggested for this threefold change in H2O2 concentration with RH.
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Onakpoya IJ, Heneghan CJ, Spencer EA, Brassey J, Plüddemann A, Evans DH, Conly JM, Jefferson T. SARS-CoV-2 and the role of close contact in transmission: a systematic review. F1000Res 2021; 10:280. [PMID: 36398277 PMCID: PMC9636487 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.52439.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2 transmission has been reported to be associated with close contact with infected individuals. However, the mechanistic pathway for transmission in close contact settings is unclear. Our objective was to identify, appraise and summarise the evidence from studies assessing the role of close contact in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Methods: This review is part of an Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2. We conduct ongoing searches using WHO Covid-19 Database, LitCovid, medRxiv, PubMed and Google Scholar; assess study quality based on the QUADAS-2 criteria and report important findings on an ongoing basis. Results: We included 278 studies: 258 primary studies and 20 systematic reviews. The settings for primary studies were predominantly in home/quarantine facilities (39.5%) and acute care hospitals (12%). The overall reporting quality of the studies was low-to-moderate. There was significant heterogeneity in design and methodology. The frequency of attack rates (PCR testing) varied between 2.1-75%; attack rates were highest in prison and wedding venues, and in households. The frequency of secondary attack rates was 0.3-100% with rates highest in home/quarantine settings. Three studies showed no transmission if the index case was a recurrent infection. Viral culture was performed in four studies of which three found replication-competent virus; culture results were negative where index cases had recurrent infections. Eighteen studies performed genomic sequencing with phylogenetic analysis - the completeness of genomic similarity ranged from 77-100%. Findings from systematic reviews showed that children were significantly less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 and household contact was associated with a significantly increased risk of infection. Conclusions: The evidence from published studies demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted in close contact settings. The risk of transmission is greater in household contacts. There was a wide variation in methodology. Standardized guidelines for reporting transmission in close contact settings should be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igho J. Onakpoya
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
- Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, Rewley house, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA, UK
| | - Carl J. Heneghan
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Elizabeth A. Spencer
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | | | - Annette Plüddemann
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - David H. Evans
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology,Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - John M. Conly
- University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services,, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - Tom Jefferson
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
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