Persistence and inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces
Apr 24, 2020 - BAV Institute
Persistence and inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) triggered a wave of Covid-19 illness in China in January 2020, which spread around the world and led to a pandemic.
Many research approaches are providing more and more insights about the virus. The infection route primarily occurs through droplets, but transmission through smear and contact infection cannot be ruled out. Infected individuals release a large number of droplets and aerosols containing viruses when coughing, sneezing, and breathing, which settle on surfaces. Therefore, the environment of infected individuals remains contaminated by the virus for a longer period of time (www.heise.de, bfr.bund.de).
Despite the often symptom-free course of the disease in many infected individuals, the virus is also excreted and spread through bodily fluids.
According to studies, SARS-CoV-2 appears to persist on surfaces longer than previously known coronaviruses. On inanimate, smooth surfaces, the SARS virus can persist from several hours to days. On plastic surfaces, SARS-CoV-2 is detectable for up to 72 hours, on stainless steel surfaces, wood, and fabric for up to 48 hours, and on copper surfaces for up to four hours. On packaging materials such as cardboard, it survives up to 24 hours. On glass, the survival time of the coronavirus is up to four days (www.nejm.org, www.thelancet.com).
Relevant factors in this are, for example, humidity and ambient temperature. According to studies, SARS-CoV-2 can survive and remain infectious on dry and cool surfaces for up to 6 days under certain circumstances (link.springer.com, aem.asm.org).
This increases the risk of exposure upon contact, which can lead to a possible infection. Since many questions remain open regarding the contamination of surfaces with the coronavirus and particularly the spread in our daily environment is unclear, the BAV Institute has established a corresponding test for this (see the following article).
To take a more targeted approach in cleaning, disinfectants that are considered limited virucidal, limited virucidal PLUS, or virucidal should be used. Furthermore, if possible, thermochemical cleaning at temperatures >56 °C is recommended (edoc.rki.de, www.rki.de).
In our laboratory, we conduct these surface examinations for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). For any questions, our customer advisors are very happy to assist you.