Abstract
Background: The contribution of droplet-contaminated surfaces for virus transmission has been discussed controversially in the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. More importantly, the risk of fomite-based transmission has not been systematically addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether confirmed hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients can contaminate stainless steel carriers by coughing or intensive moistening with saliva and to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission upon detection of viral loads and infectious virus in cell culture.
Methods: We initiated a single-center observational study including 15 COVID-19 patients with a high baseline viral load (cycle threshold value ≤25). We documented clinical and laboratory parameters and used patient samples to perform virus culture, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and virus sequencing.
Results: Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs of all patients were positive for viral ribonucleic acid on the day of the study. Infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be isolated from 6 patient swabs (46.2%). After coughing, no infectious virus could be recovered, however, intensive moistening with saliva resulted in successful viral recovery from steel carriers of 5 patients (38.5%).
Conclusions: Transmission of infectious SARS-CoV-2 via fomites is possible upon extensive moistening, but it is unlikely to occur in real-life scenarios and from droplet-contaminated fomites.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; fomite transmission; surface stability.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, fomite transmission, surface stability., 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Saliva, pandemic, Hospitalized, Sequencing, risk, Transmission, virus transmission, virus, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, stability, Culture, Viral load, oropharyngeal swab, Cell culture, Patient, Swab, Quantitative, Intensive, Coronavirus-2, Infectious virus, Cycle threshold value, COVID-19 patient, acute respiratory syndrome, viral ribonucleic acid, single-center, coughing, positive, carrier, laboratory parameter, polymerase chain, evaluate, unlikely, occur, initiated, addressed, baseline, 【제목키워드】 coronavirus 2, clinical, respiratory,