Abstract
Spread of pathogens on contaminated surfaces plays a key role in disease transmission. Surface technologies that control pathogen transfer can help control fomite transmission and are of great interest to public health. Here, we report a novel bead transfer method for evaluating fomite transmission in common laboratory settings. We show that this method meets several important criteria for quantitative test methods, including reasonableness, relevancy, resemblance, responsiveness, and repeatability, and therefore may be adaptable for standardization. In addition, this method can be applied to a wide variety of pathogens including bacteria, phage, and human viruses. Using the bead transfer method, we demonstrate that an engineered micropattern limits transfer of Staphylococcus aureus by 97.8% and T4 bacteriophage by 93.0% on silicone surfaces. Furthermore, the micropattern significantly reduces transfer of influenza B virus and human coronavirus on silicone and polypropylene surfaces. Our results highlight the potential of using surface texture as a valuable new strategy in combating infectious diseases.
Highlights
The spread of diseases requires the transmittance of pathogens from an infected host or carrier to a naive individual
To develop a method for evaluating transfer of microorganism onto surfaces, we applied the following design criteria for the method: 1) is applicable for different types of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and viruses; 2) is applicable for a wide variety of surfaces, including three-dimensional surfaces that are commonly found in daily uses; 3) shows acceptable levels of attributes that are critical for standardized disinfectant tests, including reasonableness, relevancy, validity, ruggedness, resemblance, responsiveness, repeatability, and reproducibility [34]
The surface was sampled by a Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) plate after it is visibly dry, and the amount of bacteria transferred onto the surface was determined by colony forming units (CFUs)
Summary
The spread of diseases requires the transmittance of pathogens from an infected host or carrier to a naive individual. There are many mechanisms for this to occur, including direct transfer of bodily fluids, airborne droplets, or indirect contact through a contaminated intermediate object, known as fomite transmission. Fomite transmission involves transfer of liquid between human subjects and environmental surfaces. In this mechanism, the pathogen is deposited through body secretion or aerosolization onto an object, such as a touch screen, hand rail, or desk, where it persists until it is acquired by a susceptible host through direct contact, usually by touching the object with their hands. Technologies and sanitation practices that limit fomite transmission can be a useful tool in combating many disease outbreaks [10, 11]
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