Environmental Sampling for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 During a COVID-19 Outbreak on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 222; no. 7; pp. 1098 - 1102
• Main Authors: Yamagishi, Takuya, Ohnishi, Makoto, Matsunaga, Nobuaki, Kakimoto, Kensaku, Kamiya, Hajime, Okamoto, Kiyoko, Suzuki, Motoi, Gu, Yoshiaki, Sakaguchi, Mikiyo, Tajima, Taichi, Takaya, Saho, Ohmagari, Norio, Takeda, Makoto, Matsuyama, Shuyoku, Shirato, Kazuya, Nao, Naganori, Hasegawa, Hideki, Kageyama, Tsutomu, Takayama, Ikuyo, Saito, Shinji, Wada, Koji, Fujita, Retsu, Saito, Hiroki, Okinaka, Keiji, Griffith, Mathew, Parry, Amy Elizabeth, Barnetson, Brenda, Leonard, James, Wakita, Takaji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Asymptomatic; Betacoronavirus - genetics; Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification; Brief Report; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease Outbreaks; Disease transmission; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Outbreaks; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - transmission; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Viral - isolation & purification; Sampling Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Ships; Specimen Handling; COVID-19; cruise ship; SARS-CoV-2; environmental sampling; Diamond Princess
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa437

Abstract During a COVID-19 outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship we sampled environmental surfaces after passengers and crew vacated cabins. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 58 of 601 samples (10%) from case cabins 1–17 days after cabins were vacated but not from noncase cabins. There was no difference in detection proportion between cabins of symptomatic (15%, 28/189; cycle quantification [Cq], 29.79–38.86) and asymptomatic cases (21%, 28/131; Cq, 26.21–38.99). No SARS-CoV-2 virus was isolated from any of the samples. Transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients may be similar and surfaces could be involved in transmission.