Collaborative Research: RAPID: Coronavirus persistence, transmission, and circulation in the environment

新型冠状病毒（2019-nCoV）疫情从中国武汉开始迅速蔓延。目前，除南极洲外，所有大陆都有人被感染。2019-nCoV与另外两次冠状病毒爆发（SARS和MERS）有一些相似之处。尽管对SARS和MERS进行了深入研究，但我们对冠状病毒在环境中的行为仍然缺乏基本的了解。最重要的是，我们不知道冠状病毒是如何传播的，也不知道它暴露在阳光下会保持多长时间的传染性。RAPID研究项目的目标是解决这些问题，以便更好地预测交通。该研究项目的第二个目标是确定废水处理设施中的病毒监测是否可以用于早期发现疫情。这将通过监测旧金山湾区污水处理厂的冠状病毒动态来实现。项目团队包括在冠状病毒转移、灭活和检测方面具有专业知识的研究人员。这项研究的成功完成将使科学家、工程师和公共卫生官员更好地为未来的冠状病毒爆发做好准备。社会效益包括了解冠状病毒在社区中的传播，以减少识别疫情所需的时间，以保护公共卫生和国家安全。最近，中国武汉出现了一种新型冠状病毒（2019-nCoV），其传播引起了国际关注。在这次爆发之前，还有两次冠状病毒爆发，SARS和MERS。SARS冠状病毒爆发的最初病例是通过雾化的粪便颗粒通过公寓大楼的通风管道传播的。关于2019-nCoV的早期报告表明，它也会通过粪便排出。尽管对过去的这些疫情进行了深入研究，但我们仍然对空气和水基础设施中的包膜病毒颗粒运输及其在太阳辐射照射下的失活潜力缺乏基本的了解。这些信息对于控制传播和预测持久性至关重要。第二个重要的问题是，对废水处理设施中的病毒进行监测是否可以用于在社区暴发时及早发现病毒传播。该项目的具体目标是表征包膜病毒如何从表面转移到皮肤，冠状病毒如何被太阳和紫外线辐射灭活，以及通过监测旧金山湾区废水处理厂的冠状病毒动态。项目团队包括在病毒从皮肤转移到表面、冠状病毒检测方法和病毒光灭活方面具有互补专业知识的研究人员。这项工作将在圣克拉拉县的Codiga水资源恢复中心进行，美国在该中心观察到两例最初的2019-nCoV病例。这项研究的结果将使科学家、工程师和公共卫生官员更好地为未来的冠状病毒爆发做好准备。它将提供关于地方性冠状病毒传播的关键信息，并提供一个框架，以捕捉社区中新型病毒的爆发动态。此外，包膜病毒转移研究将帮助科学家了解包膜病毒与非包膜病毒的转移是否以及如何不同。对社会的更广泛利益包括了解传播何时以及如何在社区中发生；对减少查明病毒性疾病爆发所需时间以保护公众健康和国家安全至关重要的信息。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak has rapidly spread from its beginning in Wuhan China. Currently, people have been infected on all continents except Antarctica. 2019-nCoV has some similarity to two other coronavirus outbreaks (SARS and MERS). Despite intensive study of SARS and MERS, we still lack a fundamental understanding of coronavirus behavior in the environment. Most importantly, we do not know how coronavirus spreads and how long it remains infective when exposed to sunlight. The goal of this RAPID research project is to address these questions to better predict transport. A secondary goal of this research project is to determine whether virus monitoring in wastewater treatment facilities can be used to catch outbreaks early. This will be achieved by monitoring coronavirus dynamics in wastewater treatment plants in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project team includes researchers with complimentary expertise on coronavirus transfer, inactivation, and detection. Successful completion of this research will better prepare scientists, engineers, and public health officials for future coronavirus outbreaks. Societal benefits include understanding coronavirus transmission in communities to decrease the time necessary to identify outbreaks to protect public health and national security.A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has recently emerged from Wuhan China and its spread is causing international concern. This outbreak follows two other coronavirus outbreaks SARS and MERS. The initial cases of the SARS coronavirus outbreak spread via aerosolized fecal particles through the air ducts of the apartment complex. Early reports of 2019-nCoV suggest it too is excreted in feces. Despite intensive study of these past outbreaks, we still lack a fundamental understanding of enveloped virus particle transport in air and water infrastructure and their inactivation potential from solar radiation exposure. This information is critical to control transmission and predict persistence. A second important question is whether monitoring of viruses in wastewater treatment facilities can be used to catch virus circulation early in community outbreaks. The specific objectives of this project are to characterize how enveloped viruses are transferred from surfaces to skin, how coronaviruses are inactivated by solar and UV radiation, and by monitoring coronavirus dynamics in wastewater treatment plants in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project team includes researchers with complimentary expertise on virus transfer from skin to surfaces, coronavirus detection methods, and viral photoinactivation. The work will be performed at the Codiga Water Resource Recovery Center in Santa Clara County where two of the initial 2019-nCoV cases have been observed in the USA. Results from this research will better prepare scientists, engineers, and public health officials for future coronavirus outbreaks. It will provide critical information on endemic coronavirus circulation and provide a framework for capturing the outbreak dynamics of a novel virus in a community. Further, the enveloped virus transfer study will help scientists understand if and how the transfer of enveloped viruses differs from non-enveloped viruses. Broader benefits to society include understanding when and how transmission may occur in communities; information that is critical to decreasing the time necessary to identify viral disease outbreaks to protect public health and national security.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.