Nature Communications (Mar 2024)
Frequency, kinetics and determinants of viable SARS-CoV-2 in bioaerosols from ambulatory COVID-19 patients infected with the Beta, Delta or Omicron variants
- S. Jaumdally,
- M. Tomasicchio,
- A. Pooran,
- A. Esmail,
- A. Kotze,
- S. Meier,
- L. Wilson,
- S. Oelofse,
- C. van der Merwe,
- A. Roomaney,
- M. Davids,
- T. Suliman,
- R. Joseph,
- T. Perumal,
- A. Scott,
- M. Shaw,
- W. Preiser,
- C. Williamson,
- A. Goga,
- E. Mayne,
- G. Gray,
- P. Moore,
- A. Sigal,
- J. Limberis,
- J. Metcalfe,
- K. Dheda
Affiliations
- S. Jaumdally
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- M. Tomasicchio
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- A. Pooran
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- A. Esmail
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- A. Kotze
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- S. Meier
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- L. Wilson
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- S. Oelofse
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- C. van der Merwe
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- A. Roomaney
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- M. Davids
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- T. Suliman
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape
- R. Joseph
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town
- T. Perumal
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- A. Scott
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- M. Shaw
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape
- W. Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch Tygerberg Campus; Medical Virology, National Health Laboratory Service Tygerberg, Parow
- C. Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases in Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town
- A. Goga
- HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council
- E. Mayne
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
- G. Gray
- South African Medical Research Council
- P. Moore
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
- A. Sigal
- Africa Health Research Institute
- J. Limberis
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Centre, University of California, San Francisco
- J. Metcalfe
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Centre, University of California, San Francisco
- K. Dheda
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, University of Cape Town Lung Institute
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45400-1
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 15,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 13
Abstract
Abstract Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol remains contentious. Importantly, whether cough or breath-generated bioaerosols can harbor viable and replicating virus remains largely unclarified. We performed size-fractionated aerosol sampling (Andersen cascade impactor) and evaluated viral culturability in human cell lines (infectiousness), viral genetics, and host immunity in ambulatory participants with COVID-19. Sixty-one percent (27/44) and 50% (22/44) of participants emitted variant-specific culture-positive aerosols 95%). There is considerable heterogeneity in potential infectiousness i.e., only 29% of participants were probably highly infectious (produced culture-positive aerosols <5μm at ~6 days after symptom onset). These data, which comprehensively confirm variant-specific culturable SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol, inform the targeting of transmission-related interventions and public health containment strategies emphasizing improved ventilation.
