The size and culturability of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol

Joshua L. Santarpia; Vicki L. Herrera; Danielle N. Rivera; Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate; St Patrick Reid; Daniel N. Ackerman; Paul W. Denton; Jacob W.S. Martens; Ying Fang; Nicholas Conoan; Michael V. Callahan; James V. Lawler; David M. Brett-Major; John J. Lowe

doi:10.1038/s41370-021-00376-8

The size and culturability of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol

Joshua L. Santarpia, Vicki L. Herrera, Danielle N. Rivera, Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate, St Patrick Reid, Daniel N. Ackerman, Paul W. Denton, Jacob W.S. Martens, Ying Fang, Nicholas Conoan, Michael V. Callahan, James V. Lawler, David M. Brett-Major, John J. Lowe

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84 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is the subject of ongoing policy debate. Characterizing aerosol produced by people with COVID-19 is critical to understanding the role of aerosols in transmission. Objective: We investigated the presence of virus in size-fractioned aerosols from six COVID-19 patients admitted into mixed acuity wards in April of 2020. Methods: Size-fractionated aerosol samples and aerosol size distributions were collected from COVID-19 positive patients. Aerosol samples were analyzed for viral RNA, positive samples were cultured in Vero E6 cells. Serial RT-PCR of cells indicated samples where viral replication was likely occurring. Viral presence was also investigated by western blot and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by rRT-PCR in all samples. Three samples confidently indicated the presence of viral replication, all of which were from collected sub-micron aerosol. Western blot indicated the presence of viral proteins in all but one of these samples, and intact virions were observed by TEM in one sample. Significance: Observations of viral replication in the culture of submicron aerosol samples provides additional evidence that airborne transmission of COVID-19 is possible. These results support the use of efficient respiratory protection in both healthcare and by the public to limit transmission.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	706-711
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology
Volume	32
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00376-8
State	Published - Sep 2022

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2
aerosol transmission
human-generated aerosol
viral aerosol

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Epidemiology
Toxicology
Pollution
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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10.1038/s41370-021-00376-8

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Santarpia, J. L., Herrera, V. L., Rivera, D. N., Ratnesar-Shumate, S., Reid, S. P., Ackerman, D. N., Denton, P. W., Martens, J. W. S., Fang, Y., Conoan, N., Callahan, M. V., Lawler, J. V., Brett-Major, D. M., & Lowe, J. J. (2022). The size and culturability of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 32(5), 706-711. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00376-8

Santarpia, JL, Herrera, VL, Rivera, DN, Ratnesar-Shumate, S, Reid, SP, Ackerman, DN, Denton, PW, Martens, JWS, Fang, Y, Conoan, N, Callahan, MV, Lawler, JV , Brett-Major, DM & Lowe, JJ 2022, 'The size and culturability of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol', Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 706-711. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00376-8

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abstract = "Background: Aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is the subject of ongoing policy debate. Characterizing aerosol produced by people with COVID-19 is critical to understanding the role of aerosols in transmission. Objective: We investigated the presence of virus in size-fractioned aerosols from six COVID-19 patients admitted into mixed acuity wards in April of 2020. Methods: Size-fractionated aerosol samples and aerosol size distributions were collected from COVID-19 positive patients. Aerosol samples were analyzed for viral RNA, positive samples were cultured in Vero E6 cells. Serial RT-PCR of cells indicated samples where viral replication was likely occurring. Viral presence was also investigated by western blot and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by rRT-PCR in all samples. Three samples confidently indicated the presence of viral replication, all of which were from collected sub-micron aerosol. Western blot indicated the presence of viral proteins in all but one of these samples, and intact virions were observed by TEM in one sample. Significance: Observations of viral replication in the culture of submicron aerosol samples provides additional evidence that airborne transmission of COVID-19 is possible. These results support the use of efficient respiratory protection in both healthcare and by the public to limit transmission.",

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AU - Reid, St Patrick

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The size and culturability of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol

Abstract

Keywords

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