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. 2021 May 5:12:667956.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.667956. eCollection 2021.

Stability and Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and Viral RNA in Water, Commercial Beverages, and Bodily Fluids

Mizuki Fukuta  1   2 , Zhan Qiu Mao  1   2 , Kouichi Morita  1   2   3 , Meng Ling Moi  1   2   3
Affiliations

Stability and Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and Viral RNA in Water, Commercial Beverages, and Bodily Fluids

Mizuki Fukuta et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

The stability and infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in liquid samples are of great concern to virus transmission via common beverages and sewage water. Here, we investigated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in 32 liquids including common beverages, bodily fluids, and commonly used viral transport media. Our results showed that the infectious virus could be recovered up to 77-days from common beverages including milk and water. Viral RNA could be detected at high levels in all samples up to 28-days, indicating that while viral RNA demonstrates higher stability than infectivity, viral RNA levels do not reflect the infectious capability of SARS-CoV-2. These results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 is highly stable in optimal conditions and a sufficient control measure is needed in reducing the risk of exposure and controlling and preventing future outbreaks.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; body fluids; commercial beverages; food hygiene and safety; virus stability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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