Collection, particle sizing and detection of airborne viruses

Abstract

Viruses that affect humans, animals and plants are often dispersed and transmitted through airborne routes of infection. Due to current technological deficiencies, accurate determination of the presence of airborne viruses is challenging. This shortcoming limits our ability to evaluate the actual threat arising from inhalation or other relevant contact with aerosolized viruses. To improve our understanding of the mechanisms of airborne transmission of viruses, air sampling technologies that can detect the presence of aerosolized viruses, effectively collect them and maintain their viability, and determine their distribution in aerosol particles, are needed. The latest developments in sampling and detection methodologies for airborne viruses, their limitations, factors that can affect their performance and current research needs, are discussed in this review. Much more work is needed on the establishment of standard air sampling methods and their performance requirements. Sampling devices that can collect a wide size range of virus‐containing aerosols and maintain the viability of the collected viruses are needed. Ideally, the devices would be portable and technology‐enabled for on‐the‐spot detection and rapid identification of the viruses. Broad understanding of the airborne transmission of viruses is of seminal importance for the establishment of better infection control strategies.

SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, COVID‐19 pathogenesis, and exposure to air pollution: What is the connection?

“…104 Smaller particles can also stay airborne longer, prolonging the amount of time people might be exposed to the virus. 106 Although not much is known about the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, knowledge about the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV infection can be used to predict pathogenesis of COVID-19. In addition, recent studies have illuminated some facets of SARS-CoV-2 biology.…”

Aerosol and environmental surface monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a designated hospital for severe COVID-19 patients

“…However, no standard protocol has been available until recently. An impingement air sampler is the most commonly used sampler for collecting aerosolised viruses in which air is drawn in through a narrow inlet tube into an impingement liquid [12]. In this study, we used such a sampler to monitor the viral load in aerosols and swabbing of environmental surfaces in various locations of a designated hospital for treating severe COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, the epicentre city of the initial disease outbreak.…”

SARS-CoV-2 and Environmental Samples: A Methodological Approach to Have Consistent and Comparable Results

“…Various sampling devices can be used to capture bioaerosol containing viruses, many of them are well described by Verrault et al (2008) and Pan et al (2019). The most common devices are solid impactors, liquid impactors and filters.…”

“…A partial solution could be the use of gelatine filters, because they are very efficient while they do not appear to significantly affect viral infectivity: they can be dissolved into liquid for molecular or virus enumeration in cell cultures without significantly affecting the viability of many viruses. On the contrary, low humidity can cause them to dry and break, while high humidity can cause dissolution of the filter; therefore, the sampling duration is usually quite short, around 15 minutes (Pan et al, (2019)).…”

“…Kesavan and Sagripanti (2015) reported flow rates and sampling efficiencies for many aerosol samplers according to 1, 3, 5 m collected particle size, providing the reader with data useful to choose the sampling device and collection materials suitable to one's targets. Pan et al (2019) reported a list of recommended actions to overcome knowledge gaps as far as aerosol sampling is concerned, including:…”