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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Detection of airborne severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and environmental contamination in SARS outbreak units
Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 191, No. 9, Year 2005
Notification
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Description
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is characterized by a risk of nosocomial transmission; however, the risk of airborne transmission of SARS is unknown. During the Toronto outbreaks of SARS, we investigated environmental contamination in SARS units, by employing novel air sampling and conventional surface swabbing. Two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive air samples were obtained from a room occupied by a patient with SARS, indicating the presence of the virus in the air of the room. In addition, several PCR-positive swab samples were recovered from frequently touched surfaces in rooms occupied by patients with SARS (a bed table and a television remote control) and in a nurses' station used by staff (a medication refrigerator door). These data provide the first experimental confirmation of viral aerosol generation by a patient with SARS, indicating the possibility of airborne droplet transmission, which emphasizes the need for adequate respiratory protection, as well as for strict surface hygiene practices. © 2005 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Booth, Timothy F.
Canada, Ottawa
Public Health Agency of Canada
Bastien, Nathalie
Canada, Ottawa
Public Health Agency of Canada
Kobasa, Darwyn L.
Canada, Ottawa
Public Health Agency of Canada
Li, Yan
Canada, Ottawa
Public Health Agency of Canada
Low, Donald E.
Canada, Toronto
Mount Sinai Hospital of University of Toronto
Canada, Toronto
University of Toronto
Mcgeer, Allison J.
Canada, Toronto
Mount Sinai Hospital of University of Toronto
Canada, Toronto
University of Toronto
Simor, Andrew E.
Canada, Toronto
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Canada, Toronto
University of Toronto
Jamieson, Frances B.
Unknown Affiliation
Tang, Patrick K.C.
Canada, Toronto
University of Toronto
Plummer, Francis Allan
Canada, Ottawa
Public Health Agency of Canada
Statistics
Citations: 335
Authors: 10
Affiliations: 7
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1086/429634
ISSN:
00221899
Research Areas
Covid
Environmental
Health System And Policy