title: Detection of airborne severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and environmental contamination in SARS outbreak units.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. tim_booth@hc-sc.gc.ca
authors.forename: Timothy F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kournikakis
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Darwyn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kobasa
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stadnyk
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paton
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mederski
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGeer
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simor
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vearncombe
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.forename: Frances B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Jamieson
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Plummer
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*