Characterization of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Stability in Multiple Water Matrices

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 35; no. 36; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Lee, Young Jae, Kim, Je Hyoung, Choi, Byeong-Sun, Choi, Jang-Hoon, Jeong, Young-Il
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) 대한의학회 14.09.2020
• Subjects: Animals; Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification; Betacoronavirus - physiology; Chlorocebus aethiops; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronavirus Infections - virology; COVID-19; Drinking Water - virology; Fresh Water - virology; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - transmission; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; SARS-CoV-2; Seawater - virology; Vero Cells; Viral Load; Virus Cultivation; Virus Inactivation; Water Microbiology; Water Supply; 의학일반; SARS-CoV-2; Virus Inactivation; Coronavirus; Water Stability
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e330

The advent of the global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitates a thorough study of the stability and transmissibility in the environment. We characterized the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in three water matrices: fresh, tap, and seawater. The minimum infective dose of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells was confirmed to be 10³ PFU/mL. The stability of SARS-CoV-2 varied according to the water matrix: infective SARS-CoV-2 was undetectable after treatment with fresh water and seawater, but remained detectable for 2 days in tap water, when starting with an initial concentration of 10⁴ PFU/mL. When the starting concentration was increased to 10⁵ PFU/mL, a similar trend was observed. In addition, viral RNA persisted longer than infectious virus in all water matrices. This study was conducted in stagnant water containing a significantly high titer of virus, thus, human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through the actual aquatic environment is expected to be rare.