Abstract
We quantified the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the air of different hospital settings and the autopsy room of the largest medical centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Real-time reverse-transcription PCR was used to determine the presence of the envelope protein of SARS-CoV-2 and the nucleocapsid protein genes. The E-gene was detected in 5 out of 6 samples at the ICU-COVID-19 ward and in 5 out of 7 samples at the ward-COVID-19. Similarly, in the non-dedicated facilities, the E-gene was detected in 5 out of 6 samples collected in the ICU and 4 out of 7 samples in the ward. In the necropsy room, 6 out of 7 samples were positive for the E-gene. When both wards were compared, the non-COVID ward presented a significantly higher concentration of the E-gene than in the COVID-19 ward (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in E-gene concentration between the ICU-COVID-19 and the ICU (p = 0.548). Likewise, there was no significant difference among E-gene concentrations found in the autopsy room versus the ICUs and wards (dedicated or not) (p = 0.245). Our results show the widespread presence of aerosol contamination in different hospital units.
Highlights
We quantified the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the air of different hospital settings and the autopsy room of the largest medical centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil
In the non-dedicated facilities, the E-gene was detected in 5 out of 6 samples collected in the intensive care units (ICUs) and 4 out of 7 samples in the ward
The N-gene was detected in 2 samples at the ICU-COVID-19 and 1 sample at the ward-COVID-19; in the non-dedicated facilities, it was detected in 1 sample in the ICU and 1 in the ward
Summary
We quantified the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the air of different hospital settings and the autopsy room of the largest medical centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There was no significant difference among E-gene concentrations found in the autopsy room versus the ICUs and wards (dedicated or not) (p = 0.245). To our knowledge, few studies have compared the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genes in the indoor air of hospital wards and intensive care units dedicated to COVID-19 patients versus non-COVID-19 u nits[7,8]. The Hospital das Clínicas of the Sao Paulo University Medical School, the largest tertiary care centre of Latin America, became the reference centre for the more severe cases of COVID-19 in São Paulo[10]. A dedicated autopsy room for minimally invasive autopsies (MIAs) was created in the m orgue[11] because conventional autopsies were forbidden by law in Brazil since March 2020 (the autopsy rooms in the country did not comply with the appropriate biosafety recommendations, especially in relation to the presence of Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms or negative pressure systems[12])
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