Exploring Integrated Environmental Viral Surveillance of Indoor Environments: A comparison of surface and bioaerosol environmental sampling in hospital rooms with COVID-19 patients

Dietz, Leslie; Constant, David A; Fretz, Mark; Horve, Patrick F.; Martinez-Olsen, Andreas; Stenson, Jason; Wilkes, Andrew; Martindale, Robert G.; Messer, William B.; Wymelenberg, Kevin Van Den

doi:10.1101/2021.03.26.21254416

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(81 reference statements)

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“…There is a paucity of clinical studies of air sampling for SARS-CoV-2 detection: for example, one recent preprint comparing a commercial air sampler (not TGA listed) to other environmental testing in 32 hospital rooms of COVID-19 positive patients found that among positive rooms, 32% had only active air samples that returned positive results, while ∼27% and ∼9% had only one or more surface swabs or passive settling plates that returned a positive result respectively; 32% of rooms had more than one sample type that returned a positive result. 99 Therefore, the utility of air sampling in various prevalence contexts relevant to Australia requires further research. 99 …”

Section: Other Novel Emerging Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of emerging testing technologies and approaches for SARS-CoV-2: review of literature and global experience in an Australian context

et al. 2021

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Emerging testing technologies for detection of SARS-CoV-2 include those that are rapid and can be used at point-of-care (POC), and those facilitating high throughput laboratory-based testing. Tests designed to be performed at POC (such as antigen tests and molecular assays) have the potential to expedite isolation of infectious patients and their contacts, but most are less sensitive than standard-of-care reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data on clinical performance of the majority of emerging assays is limited with most evaluations performed on contrived or stored laboratory samples. Further evaluations of these assays are required, particularly when performed at POC on symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and at various time-points after symptom onset. A few studies have so far shown several of these assays have high specificity. However, large prospective evaluations are needed to confirm specificity, particularly before the assays are implemented in low prevalence settings or asymptomatic populations. High throughput laboratory-based testing includes the use of new sample types (e.g., saliva to increase acceptability) or innovative uses of existing technology (e.g., sample pooling). Information detailing population-wide testing strategies for SARS-COV-2 is largely missing from peer-reviewed literature. Logistics and supply chains are key considerations in any plan to ‘scale up’ testing in the Australian context. The strategic use of novel assays will help strike the balance between achieving adequate test numbers without overwhelming laboratory capacity. To protect testing of high-risk populations, the aims of testing with respect to the phase of the pandemic must be considered.

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Section: Other Novel Emerging Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 99 Therefore, the utility of air sampling in various prevalence contexts relevant to Australia requires further research. 99 …”

Section: Other Novel Emerging Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of emerging testing technologies and approaches for SARS-CoV-2: review of literature and global experience in an Australian context

et al. 2021

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“…Several studies have shown the utility of active air samplers to detect aerosols containing SARS-CoV-2 [38][39][40][41][42][43] in controlled settings and locations with known SARS-CoV-2 cases. Horve et al (2021) demonstrated consistent detection of heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus at an aerosol concentration of 0.089 genome copies per liter of air (gc/L) when air samples were collected in a room-scale experiment during an eight-hour interval 38 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Horve et al (2021) demonstrated consistent detection of heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus at an aerosol concentration of 0.089 genome copies per liter of air (gc/L) when air samples were collected in a room-scale experiment during an eight-hour interval 38 . Another study compared the effectiveness of surface and bioaerosol sampling methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 and showed active air samples detected SARS-CoV-2 in 53% of the samples when run for 1-2 hours in hospital rooms of COVID-19 patients, while passive air sampling and surface swabs detected SARS-CoV-2 in only 12% and 14% of samples, respectively 39 Increases in patient viral load were associated with lower cycle threshold (Ct) values detected in near (1.2 meters) and far (3.5 meters) air samplers 40 . Lastly, a study demonstrated the utility of using active air samplers to track the presence and concentration of virus in air longitudinally during COVID-19 isolation periods in student dormitories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens are detected in continuous air samples from congregate settings

Ramuta

Newman

Brakefield

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Two years after the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, there is still a need for better ways to assess the risk of transmission in congregate spaces. We deployed active air samplers to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in real-world settings across communities in the Upper Midwestern states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Over 29 weeks, we collected 527 air samples from 15 congregate settings and detected 106 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples, demonstrating SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in air collected from daily and weekly sampling intervals. We expanded the utility of air surveillance to test for 40 other respiratory pathogens. Surveillance data revealed differences in timing and location of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus detection in the community. In addition, we obtained SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from air samples to identify variant lineages. Collectively, this shows air surveillance is a scalable, cost-effective, and high throughput alternative to individual testing for detecting respiratory pathogens in congregate settings.

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“…Renninger et al emphasize the need for surveillance testing, especially when affected individuals are asymptomatic, and successfully use dust as a tool for COVID-19 surveillance [ 12 ]. In another study, air in a hospital room was sampled at 200 L per minute using an AerosolSense air sampler to efficiently detect SARS-CoV-2 present in the air [ 13 ]. However, most of these surveillance techniques are based on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which, although effective, is time consuming, expensive, and not suitable for providing real-time alerts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in Indoor Air Using Electrochemical Sensor for Continuous Monitoring and Real-Time Alerts

Gecgel

Ramanujam

et al. 2022

Biosensors

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The severe acute respiratory syndrome related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally and there is still a lack of rapid detection techniques for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in indoor air. In this work, two test rigs were developed that enable continuous air monitoring for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by sample collection and testing. The collected samples from simulated SARS-CoV-2 contaminated air were analyzed using an ultra-fast COVID-19 diagnostic sensor (UFC-19). The test rigs utilized two air sampling methods: cyclone-based collection and internal impaction. The former achieved a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.004 cp/L in the air (which translates to 0.5 cp/mL when tested in aqueous solution), lower than the latter with a limit of 0.029 cp/L in the air. The LoD of 0.5 cp/mL using the UFC-19 sensor in aqueous solution is significantly lower than the best-in-class assays (100 cp/mL) and FDA EUA RT-PCR test (6250 cp/mL). In addition, the developed test rig provides an ultra-fast method to detect airborne SARS-CoV-2. The required time to test 250 L air is less than 5 min. While most of the time is consumed by the air collection process, the sensing is completed in less than 2 s using the UFC-19 sensor. This method is much faster than both the rapid antigen (<20 min) and RT-PCR test (<90 min).

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Exploring Integrated Environmental Viral Surveillance of Indoor Environments: A comparison of surface and bioaerosol environmental sampling in hospital rooms with COVID-19 patients

Cited by 11 publications

References 69 publications

Use of emerging testing technologies and approaches for SARS-CoV-2: review of literature and global experience in an Australian context

Use of emerging testing technologies and approaches for SARS-CoV-2: review of literature and global experience in an Australian context

SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens are detected in continuous air samples from congregate settings

SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in Indoor Air Using Electrochemical Sensor for Continuous Monitoring and Real-Time Alerts

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