Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2021 Jan 1;534:343-346. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.11.080. Epub 2020 Nov 28.
SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus which has caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Other known coronaviruses show a strong pattern of seasonality, with the infection cases in humans being more prominent in winter. Although several plausible origins of such seasonal variability have been proposed, its mechanism is unclear. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via airborne droplets ejected from the upper respiratory tract of the infected individuals. It has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious for hours on surfaces. As such, the stability of viral particles both in liquid droplets as well as dried on surfaces is essential for infectivity. Here we have used atomic force microscopy to examine the structural stability of individual SARS-CoV-2 virus like particles at different temperatures. We demonstrate that even a mild temperature increase, commensurate with what is common for summer warming, leads to dramatic disruption of viral structural stability, especially when the heat is applied in the dry state. This is consistent with other existing non-mechanistic studies of viral infectivity, provides a single particle perspective on viral seasonality, and strengthens the case for a resurgence of COVID-19 in winter.
SARS-CoV-2 是一种新型冠状病毒，它引发了 COVID-19 大流行。其他已知的冠状病毒表现出很强的季节性模式，人类感染病例在冬季更为突出。尽管已经提出了几种合理的季节性变化的起源，但它的机制尚不清楚。SARS-CoV-2 通过感染者上呼吸道喷出的飞沫传播。据报道，SARS-CoV-2 在表面上可保持数小时的传染性。因此，病毒颗粒在液滴中和干燥在表面上的稳定性对于传染性至关重要。在这里，我们使用原子力显微镜来检查不同温度下单个 SARS-CoV-2 病毒样颗粒的结构稳定性。我们证明，即使是轻微的温度升高，与夏季变暖时常见的温度升高相当，也会导致病毒结构稳定性的显著破坏，尤其是在干燥状态下加热时。这与其他现有的非机制性病毒感染力研究一致，为病毒季节性提供了单颗粒视角，并增强了 COVID-19 在冬季复发的可能性。
