Department of Laboratory and Quarantine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Jun;30(26):69697-69702. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-27326-1. Epub 2023 May 2.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets and aerosols. It is also possible for the virus to be transmitted indirectly through environmental contamination. The likelihood of environmental transmission depends on several factors, including the survival time of the virus in respiratory secretions. However, the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory secretions has not been investigated. In this study, we compared the half-life of the SARS-CoV-2 antigen in respiratory secretion under different conditions. We applied respiratory secretion (5 µL) to glass slides, air-dried the slides for 1 h, and kept them at 24 °C or 4 °C for 10 days. Respiratory secretions were also placed in test tubes (sealed to preserve moisture) and in normal saline for 10 days. The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 antigen in all samples was simultaneously measured using colloidal gold immunochromatography, and the half-life of the antigen was calculated. The half-life of the antigen in the wet (sealed tube) and saline samples at room temperature was 5.0 and 2.92 days, respectively. The half-life of the antigen in the air-dried sample at room temperature and at 4 °C was 2.93 and 11.4 days, respectively. The half-life was longer in respiratory secretions than that in normal saline. The half-life was also longer in respiratory secretions, at a lower temperature, and under wet conditions. Therefore, environmental transmission can also play a significant role in the spread of the virus. Robust prevention and control strategies could be developed based on the half-life of the antigen in respiratory secretions.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）主要通过呼吸道飞沫和气溶胶在人与人之间传播。病毒也可能通过环境污染间接传播。环境传播的可能性取决于几个因素，包括病毒在呼吸道分泌物中的存活时间。然而，SARS-CoV-2 在呼吸道分泌物中的稳定性尚未得到研究。在这项研究中，我们比较了不同条件下呼吸道分泌物中 SARS-CoV-2 抗原的半衰期。我们将呼吸道分泌物（5 µL）涂在载玻片上，在空气中干燥 1 小时，然后将载玻片在 24°C 或 4°C 下保存 10 天。呼吸道分泌物也分别放置在试管（密封以保持水分）和生理盐水 10 天。使用胶体金免疫层析法同时测量所有样本中 SARS-CoV-2 抗原的浓度，并计算抗原的半衰期。在室温下，湿（密封管）和盐水中抗原的半衰期分别为 5.0 和 2.92 天。在室温下和 4°C 下，干燥的呼吸道样本中的抗原半衰期分别为 2.93 和 11.4 天。抗原在呼吸道分泌物中的半衰期比在生理盐水中长。在呼吸道分泌物中，温度越低，湿度越大，半衰期越长。因此，环境传播也可能在病毒传播中发挥重要作用。可以根据呼吸道分泌物中抗原的半衰期制定有效的预防和控制策略。
