Measurement of Particle Sizes Associated with Airborne Viruses

说明(申请人提供)：医护人员、养猪场工人、航空公司和公共交通工作人员以及其他人可能感染多种可通过空气传播的病毒。感染控制专家将通过空气传播的传染病分为两类，例如“飞沫传播”和“空气传播”。传统观点认为，大多数传染性病毒的传播是通过飞沫传播的。然而，最近的研究表明，至少有一些病毒可以通过空中路线传播。值得注意的是，还没有人评估与职业环境中的病毒有关的颗粒的大小。我们的研究将回答这个关键问题：‘空气传播病毒是一种比传统观点认为的更重要的机制吗？’在这项研究中，将开发方法来量化与不同大小的空气颗粒物相关的病毒数量以及这些病毒在任何环境中的生存能力。第一步是将空气中的颗粒物分成不同的大小范围。将评估撞击器和差动流度分析仪实现这种分离的能力。第二步是分析划分成每个大小范围的颗粒，以确定其中存在的病毒量。活病毒(和噬菌体)的定量将通过接种适当的细胞系统(或噬菌体的细菌宿主)来完成。分子方法，如聚合酶链式反应(PCR)也将被用作半定量方法来检测活的和灭活的病毒。在实验室验证方法后，它们将用于猪舍和卫生保健设施，以测量与活病毒和非活病毒相关的颗粒大小，以及工人可能接触的颗粒大小。这种对病毒行为的更好理解将影响用于防止病毒在卫生保健设施、动物设施、公共场所和其他工作场所传播的程序和技术。最近的研究表明，一些病毒可以通过空中路线传播。我们将开发方法来量化与不同大小的空气颗粒物相关的病毒数量以及这些病毒在环境中的生存能力。然后，这些方法将用于猪舍和卫生保健设施，以测量与活病毒和非活病毒相关的颗粒大小，以及工人可能接触的颗粒大小。这种对病毒行为的更好理解将有助于防止病毒在卫生保健设施、动物设施、公共场所和其他工作场所传播。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Health care personnel, swine and poultry farm workers, airline and public transportation workers, and others may be infected by a variety of viruses that can be transmitted through air. Infection control experts divide transmission of infectious agents through air into two categories, e.g., "droplet transmission" and "airborne transmission". Conventional wisdom suggests that most transmission of infectious viruses occurs by droplet transmission. However, more recent research indicates that at least some viruses can be transmitted by the airborne route. Remarkably, no one has assessed the sizes of particles with which viruses are associated in occupational environments. Our research will answer this critical question: `Is airborne viral transmission a more important mechanism than conventional wisdom suggests?" During this study, methods will be developed to quantify the amount of virus associated with airborne particles of different sizes and the viability of these viruses in any environment. The first step is to separate airborne particles into different size ranges. Impactors and differential mobility analyzers will be evaluated for their ability to achieve this separation. The second step is to analyze the particles divided into each size range for the amount of virus present within them. The quantification of live viruses (and a bacteriophage) will be accomplished by inoculation of appropriate cell systems (or bacterial host for bacteriophage). Molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will also be used as a semiquantitative method to detect both live and inactivated viruses. After methods are validated in the laboratory, they will be used in swine barns and health care facilities to measure particle sizes with which viable and non-viable viruses are associated and to which workers may be exposed. This improved understanding of virus behavior will influence the procedures and technology used to prevent virus transmission in health care facilities, animal facilities, public venues, and other workplaces. Recent research shows that some viruses can be transmitted by the airborne route. We will develop methods to quantify the amount of viruses associated with airborne particles of different sizes and the survivability of these viruses in the environment. These methods will then be used in swine barns and health care facilities to measure particle sizes with which viable and non-viable viruses are associated and to which workers may be exposed. This improved understanding of virus behavior will help prevent virus transmission in health care facilities, animal facilities, public venues, and other workplaces.