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. 2021 Nov;31(6):1815-1825.
doi: 10.1111/ina.12871. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

SARS-CoV-2, other respiratory viruses and bacteria in aerosols: Report from Kuwait's hospitals

N Habibi  1 , S Uddin  1 , F Al-Salameen  1 , S Al-Amad  1 , V Kumar  1 , M Al-Otaibi  1 , N Abdul Razzack  1 , A Shajan  1 , F Shirshikar  1
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2, other respiratory viruses and bacteria in aerosols: Report from Kuwait's hospitals

N Habibi et al. Indoor Air. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

The role of airborne particles in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is well explored. The novel coronavirus can survive in aerosol for extended periods, and its interaction with other viral communities can cause additional virulence and infectivity. This baseline study reports concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, other respiratory viruses, and pathogenic bacteria in the indoor air from three major hospitals (Sheikh Jaber, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, and Al-Amiri) in Kuwait dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The indoor aerosol samples showed 12-99 copies of SARS-CoV-2 per m3 of air. Two non-SARS-coronavirus (strain HKU1 and NL63), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human bocavirus, human rhinoviruses, Influenza B (FluB), and human enteroviruses were also detected in COVID-positive areas of Mubarak Al Kabeer hospital (MKH). Pathogenic bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia and, Haemophilus influenza were also found in the hospital aerosols. Our results suggest that the existing interventions such as social distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, surface sanitization, and avoidance of crowded indoor spaces are adequate to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in enclosed areas. However, increased ventilation can significantly reduce the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor aerosols. The synergistic or inhibitory effects of other respiratory pathogens in the spread, severity, and complexity of SARS-CoV-2 need further investigation.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; indoor air; pathogenic bacteria; qPCR; respiratory viruses.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors explicitly state that there was no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Box whisker plots representing the live bacterial cell numbers per m3 of air from (A) Mubarak Al‐Kabeer Hospital (MKH); (B) Sheikh Jaber Hospital (SJH); (C) Al‐Amiri Hospital (AMH); (D) Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and (E) Outdoor aerosol (control sample). RNA‐based cell counts (copies per m3 of air) obtained through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) are plotted on the Y‐axis
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Common and unique respiratory viruses including SARS‐CoV‐2 and pathogenic bacteria detected by the qPCR in three major hospitals of Kuwait (MKH, SJH &AMH). KISR represents samples collected from a non‐hospitalized setting and OUT signifies aerosols in ambient air from a residential area used as a control in the present study
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Concentration of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the indoor air of Mubarak Al‐Kabeer hospital (MKH‐sub‐locations MKHP, MKHCW and MKHL1), Sheikh Jaber Hospital (SJH‐ sublocations SJHCW and SJHCO), and Al‐Amiri hospitals (AMH‐sublocation AMHLR) of Kuwait. Quantitative estimations are based on Ct values obtained through the qPCR
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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