Survival of SARS-CoV-2 on Clothing Materials.

Jenni Virtanen,Kirsi Aaltonen,Tarja Sironen,Ilkka Kivistö,Jay C Brown

doi:10.1155/2021/6623409

Abstract

In order to plan and execute proper preventative measures against COVID-19, we need to understand how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted. It has been shown to remain infectious on surfaces from hours to days depending on surface type and environmental factors. The possibility of transmission through fur animals and contaminated pelts, along with the safety of those working with them, is a major concern. SARS-CoV-2 can infect minks and raccoon dogs and has spread to mink farms in numerous countries. Here, we studied the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on blue fox, Finn raccoon, and American mink pelt, fake fur, cotton, plastic, faux leather, and polyester and tested its inactivation by UV light and heat treatment. We detected infectious virus up to 5 days on plastic, up to 1 day on fake fur, less than a day on cotton, polyester, and faux leather, and even 10 days on mink fur. UV light failed to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 on pelts, most likely due to the mechanical protection by the fur. Hence, it should not be used to inactivate the virus on fur products, and its use for other surfaces should also be considered carefully. Heat treatment at 60°C for 1 h inactivated the virus on all surfaces and is a promising method to be applied in practice. This study helps prevent further spread of COVID-19 by increasing our understanding about risks of SARS-CoV-2 spread through contaminated clothing materials and giving important information needed to improve safety of those working in the production line as well as people using the products.

Highlights

Better understanding about the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is needed to be able to set up proper preventative measures. e role of surface contamination has been discussed as several studies have found SARS-CoV-2 genetic material on various surfaces, though most of those studies have focused on genetic material and not the infectious virus [1,2,3]
In studies performed with other coronaviruses, results have varied depending on the surface, environmental conditions, and the virus
Results of the first test on SARS-CoV-2 stability on surfaces without inactivating treatment and after treatment with heat or UV light are presented in Tables 1, S1, and S2. ey were considered positive if cytopathic effect (CPE) was detected, and Ct values of RT-PCR performed from growth media were less than 20.00 in one or both parallel reactions

Summary

Introduction

Better understanding about the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is needed to be able to set up proper preventative measures. e role of surface contamination has been discussed as several studies have found SARS-CoV-2 genetic material on various surfaces, though most of those studies have focused on genetic material and not the infectious virus [1,2,3]. Based on studies about SARS-CoV-2 infectivity on surfaces performed in laboratory settings, stability on surfaces can vary from hours to days. It has stayed infectious for several days on plastic, steel, and outer layer of surgical mask, but only from some hours to a couple of days on paper, wood, and cloth [4,5,6]. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and HCoV-229E lost their infectivity within 72 hours, whereas severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1) stayed viable from three days to over two weeks [6,7,8,9,10]

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