International Journal of Infectious Diseases (Jun 2023)
Viable mpox virus in the environment of a patient room
- Kalisvar Marimuthu,
- Judith Chui Ching Wong,
- Poh Lian Lim,
- Sophie Octavia,
- Xiaowei Huan,
- Yi Kai Ng,
- Jun Jing Yang,
- Stephanie Sutjipto,
- Kyaw Zaw Linn,
- Yin Xiang Setoh,
- Chong Hui Clara Ong,
- Jane Griffiths,
- Sharifah Farhanah,
- Thai Shawn Cheok,
- Nur Ashikin Binti Sulaiman,
- Sipaco Barbara Congcong,
- Erica Sena Neves,
- Liang Hui Loo,
- Luqman Hakim,
- Shuzhen Sim,
- Merrill Lim,
- Mohammad Nazeem,
- Shawn Vasoo,
- Kwok Wai Tham,
- Oon Tek Ng,
- Lee Ching Ng
Affiliations
- Kalisvar Marimuthu
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore; Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Corresponding author. Tel: +65 63577924; fax: +65 62524056
- Judith Chui Ching Wong
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Poh Lian Lim
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore; Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Sophie Octavia
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore; School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
- Xiaowei Huan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
- Yi Kai Ng
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Jun Jing Yang
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Stephanie Sutjipto
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore; Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
- Kyaw Zaw Linn
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Yin Xiang Setoh
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore; School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane City, Australia
- Chong Hui Clara Ong
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
- Jane Griffiths
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Sharifah Farhanah
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
- Thai Shawn Cheok
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
- Nur Ashikin Binti Sulaiman
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Sipaco Barbara Congcong
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
- Erica Sena Neves
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Liang Hui Loo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
- Luqman Hakim
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Shuzhen Sim
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Merrill Lim
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Mohammad Nazeem
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
- Shawn Vasoo
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore; Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Kwok Wai Tham
- Department of the Built Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Oon Tek Ng
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore; Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Lee Ching Ng
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 131
pp. 40 – 45
Abstract
We conducted a prospective environmental surveillance study to investigate the air, surface, dust, and water contamination of a room occupied by a patient infected with mpox virus (MPXV) at various stages of the illness. The patient tested positive for MPXV from a throat swab and skin lesions. Environmental sampling was conducted in a negative pressure room with 12 unidirectional high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) air changes per hour and daily cleaning of the surfaces. A total of 179 environmental samples were collected on days 7, 8, 13, and 21 of illness. Among the days of sampling, air, surface, and dust contamination showed the highest contamination rates on day 7 and 8 of illness, with a gradual decline to the lowest contamination level by day 21. Viable MPXV was isolated from surfaces and dust samples and no viable virus was isolated from the air and water samples.
