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Lednicky JA, Lauzard M, Fan ZH, Jutla A, Tilly TB, Gangwar M, Usmani M, Shankar SN, Mohamed K, Eiguren-Fernandez A, Stephenson CJ, Alam MM, Elbadry MA, Loeb JC, Subramaniam K, Waltzek TB, Cherabuddi K, Morris JG, Wu CY. Viable SARS-CoV-2 in the air of a hospital room with COVID-19 patients. Int J Infect Dis 2020. [PMID: 32949774 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.09.025,pubmed:32949774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Because the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols but failure to isolate viable (infectious) virus are commonly reported, there is substantial controversy whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted through aerosols. This conundrum occurs because common air samplers can inactivate virions through their harsh collection processes. We sought to resolve the question whether viable SARS-CoV-2 can occur in aerosols using VIVAS air samplers that operate on a gentle water vapor condensation principle. METHODS Air samples collected in the hospital room of two coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients, one ready for discharge and the other newly admitted, were subjected to RT-qPCR and virus culture. The genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 collected from the air and isolated in cell culture were sequenced. RESULTS Viable SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from air samples collected 2 to 4.8 m away from the patients. The genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated from the material collected by the air samplers was identical to that isolated from the newly admitted patient. Estimates of viable viral concentrations ranged from 6 to 74 TCID50 units/L of air. CONCLUSIONS Patients with respiratory manifestations of COVID-19 produce aerosols in the absence of aerosol-generating procedures that contain viable SARS-CoV-2, and these aerosols may serve as a source of transmission of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Lednicky
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, USA; Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA.
| | - Michael Lauzard
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - Z Hugh Fan
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA; J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | - Antarpreet Jutla
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | - Trevor B Tilly
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | - Mayank Gangwar
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | - Moiz Usmani
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | - Sripriya Nannu Shankar
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | - Karim Mohamed
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, USA
| | | | - Caroline J Stephenson
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, USA; Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Md Mahbubul Alam
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, USA; Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Maha A Elbadry
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, USA; Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Julia C Loeb
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, USA; Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Kuttichantran Subramaniam
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - Thomas B Waltzek
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - Kartikeya Cherabuddi
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - J Glenn Morris
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - Chang-Yu Wu
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Florida, USA
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