title: Assessment of the risk of Ebola virus transmission from bodily fluids and fomites.
abstract: Although Ebola virus (EBOV) is transmitted by unprotected physical contact with infected persons, few data exist on which specific bodily fluids are infected or on the risk of fomite transmission. Therefore, we tested various clinical specimens from 26 laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, as well as environmental specimens collected from an isolation ward, for the presence of EBOV. Virus was detected by culture and/or reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in 16 of 54 clinical specimens (including saliva, stool, semen, breast milk, tears, nasal blood, and a skin swab) and in 2 of 33 environmental specimens. We conclude that EBOV is shed in a wide variety of bodily fluids during the acute period of illness but that the risk of transmission from fomites in an isolation ward and from convalescent patients is low when currently recommended infection control guidelines for the viral hemorrhagic fevers are followed.
authors.affiliation: Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. dbausch@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bausch
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Towner
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Dowell
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaducu
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lukwiya
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Stuart T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nichol
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
authors.forename: Pierre E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Rollin
mesh_terms: D001826:Body Fluids / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D050456:Fomites / Q000821:virology*; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D017201:Virus Shedding