Airborne concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor community environments in Italy

Conte, M.; Feltracco, Matteo; Chirizzi, Daniela; Trabucco, Sara; Dinoi, Adelaide; Gregoris, Elena; Barbaro, Elena; Bella, Gianfranco La; Ciccarese, Giuseppina; Belosi, Franco; Salandra, Giovanna La; Gambaro, Andrea; Contini, Daniele

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-16737-7

Cited by 30 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…These results may be attributed to the use of oxygen masks for patients, natural and mechanical ventilation in the studied wards, and environmental factor affecting bioaerosol concentrations. In a related study it has been reported that the absence of SARS-CoV-2 virus (present or not detected) in related hospital wards can be attributed to several reasons such as the strength of the source (number of infected patients), lack of an standard measurement protocol for airborne viruses, room volume, and the effect of mechanical and natural ventilation in the different places (ventilation rate) (Conte et al 2021). Grimalt et al (2022) also assessed the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in hospital areas and found that the highest risk of nosocomial infection might be occurred in the hospital areas that did not directly exposed to the exhaled breath of infected patients, thus the ventilation systems of the hospitals units should be evaluated to minimize the possible contagious influence via the direct monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in the air.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Air of Sina and Shahid Beheshti Hospitals and Patients' Houses

et al. 2022

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Side by side air sampling was conducted using a PTFE filter membrane as dry sampler and an impinger containing a suitable culture medium as a wet sampler. Most of the samples were collected from two hospitals and few air samples were collected from private houses of non-hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients. The collected air samples were analyzed using RT-PCR. The results indicated that all air samples collected from the hospitals were PCR negative for SARS-CoV-2. While two of four air samples collected from the house of non-hospitalized patients were PCR positive. In this study, most of the hospitalized patients had oxygen mask and face mask, and hence this may be a reason for our negative results regarding the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor air of the hospitals, while non-hospitalized patients did not wear oxygen and protective face masks in their houses. Moreover, a very high concentration of particles in the size range of droplet nuclei (< 5 µm) was identified compared to particles in the size range of respiratory droplets (> 5-10 µm) in the areas where patients were hospitalized. It can be concluded that using face mask by patients can prevent the release of viruses into the indoor air, even in hospitals with a high density of patients.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Air of Sina and Shahid Beheshti Hospitals and Patients' Houses

et al. 2022

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“…The LoD in our study was 2.2 virus copies per liter of air, which is higher than some other SARS-CoV-2 air studies. 34,35 Many studies do not report LoD in terms of viral concentration in air, but the lowest reported values across several SARS-CoV-2 air sampling studies indicate large differences in LoD. 36 It is important to highlight that none of the samples-one fourmeter sample and parallel samples at one-and two-meter distancewere culture positive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The LoD in our study was 2.2 virus copies per liter of air, which is higher than some other SARS‐CoV‐2 air studies. 34 , 35 Many studies do not report LoD in terms of viral concentration in air, but the lowest reported values across several SARS‐CoV‐2 air sampling studies indicate large differences in LoD. 36 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersion of SARS‐CoV‐2 in air surrounding COVID‐19‐infected individuals with mild symptoms

et al. 2022

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, the transmission modes of SARS‐CoV‐2—particularly the role of aerosol transmission—have been much debated. Accumulating evidence suggests that SARS‐CoV‐2 can be transmitted by aerosols, and not only via larger respiratory droplets. In this study, we quantified SARS‐CoV‐2 in air surrounding 14 test subjects in a controlled setting. All subjects had SARS‐CoV‐2 infection confirmed by a recent positive PCR test and had mild symptoms when included in the study. RT‐PCR and cell culture analyses were performed on air samples collected at distances of one, two, and four meters from test subjects. Oronasopharyngeal samples were taken from consenting test subjects and analyzed by RT‐PCR. Additionally, total aerosol particles were quantified during air sampling trials. Air viral concentrations at one‐meter distance were significantly correlated with both viral loads in the upper airways, mild coughing, and fever. One sample collected at four‐meter distance was RT‐PCR positive. No samples were successfully cultured. The results reported here have potential application for SARS‐CoV‐2 detection and monitoring schemes, and for increasing our understanding of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission dynamics. Practical implications. In this study, quantification of SARS‐CoV‐2 in air was performed around infected persons with mild symptoms. Such persons may go longer before they are diagnosed and may thus be a disproportionately important epidemiological group. By correlating viral concentrations in air with behavior and symptoms, we identify potential risk factors for viral dissemination in indoor environments. We also show that quantification of total aerosol particles is not a useful strategy for monitoring SARS‐CoV‐2 in indoor environments.

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“…Conte et al collected aerosol samples in different indoor community environments in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Puglia, Italy. All of them tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 [50], suggesting that these measures are important for reducing the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2.…”

Section: The Spread Of Droplets Carrying Virus In the Indoor Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Indoor and Outdoor Environments

Zhang

Zhu

et al. 2021

Atmosphere

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Since the outbreak in late December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread across the globe, causing great damage to human life and property. A lot of researchers around the world have devoted themselves to the study of its origin, pathogenic mechanism, and transmission route, and this article gives a summary. First, both humans and animals can act as the host of coronavirus. In indoor environments, the virus may exist in aerosols, droplets, saliva, etc., from the nose and mouth connected to the respiratory system, as well as feces, urine, etc., from the digestive and urinary systems. In addition, other substances, such as breast milk, eye feces, and blood, released from the host can carry viruses. The virus transmitted indoors is affected by indoor machinery, natural forces, and human activities, and spreads in different distances. Second, the virus spreads outdoors through three kinds of media: solid, liquid, and gas, and is affected by their survival time, the temperature, and humidity in the environment.

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Airborne concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor community environments in Italy

Cited by 30 publications

References 60 publications

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Air of Sina and Shahid Beheshti Hospitals and Patients' Houses

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Air of Sina and Shahid Beheshti Hospitals and Patients' Houses

Dispersion of SARS‐CoV‐2 in air surrounding COVID‐19‐infected individuals with mild symptoms

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Indoor and Outdoor Environments

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