WHO | First data on stability and resistance of SARS coronavirus compiled by members of WHO laboratory network

First data on stability and resistance of SARS coronavirus compiled by members of WHO laboratory network

The below table provides the first compilation of data on resistance of the SARS Coronavirus against environmental factors and disinfectants. This information has been provided by Members of the WHO multi-center collaborative network on SARS diagnosis. More detailed information on methods utilized and material used is being compiled and will be available shortly. The major conclusions from these studies are:

Virus survival in stool and urine

Virus is stable in faeces(and urine) at room temperature for at least 1-2 days.
Virus is more stable (up to 4 days) in stool from diarrhea patients (which has higher pH than normal stool).

Disinfectants

Virus loses infectivity after exposure to different commonly used disinfectants and fixatives.

Virus survival in cell-culture supernatant

Only minimal reduction in virus concentration after 21 days at 4°C and -80°C.
Reduction in virus concentration by one log only at stable room temperature for 2 days. This would indicate that the virus is more stable than the known human coronaviruses under these conditions.
Heat at 56°C kills the SARS coronavirus at around 10000 units per 15 min (quick reduction).

Fixatives (for use in laboratories only)

SARS virus fixation (killing) on glass slides for immunofluorescence assays in room temperature does not kill virus efficiently unless the acetone is cooled down to -20oC.

Lab*	Substrate	Initial viral count log_10PFU	_Condition	_{Survival time}		_{Method of testing viability}
_GVU	_{virus spiked in baby stool}	_1.00E+03	_{pH 6-7}	_{3 hr}		_{Virus isolation in cell culture}
	_{virus spiked in normal stool}	_7.50E+03	_{pH 8}	_6hr		_{Virus isolation in cell culture}
	_{virus in diarrheal stool}	_7.50E+03	_{pH 9}	_4days		_{Virus isolation in cell culture}
_QMH	_stool	_1.00E+03	_{Room Temperature}	_{at least 2 days}		_{Virus isolation in cell culture}
	_urine	_1.00E+03	_{Room Temperature}	_{at least 24 hr}		_{Virus isolation in cell culture}
	_{Virus culture medium+ 1% bovine serum}	_1.00E+03	_{on plastic surface in room temperature}	_{at least 2 days}		_{Virus isolation in cell culture}
	_{Virus culture medium+ 1% bovine serum}	_1.00E+04	_30-37^°C	_{^{at least 1hr}}		_{^{Virus isolation in cell culture}}
	_{^{Virus culture medium+ 1% fetal calf serum}}	_^1.00E+04	_^56°C	_{^{degration of titre over time (10 000 infectious virus units in 15 min)}}		_{^{Virus isolation in cell culture}}
	_{^{virus in Acetone, 10% Formaldehyde and Paraformaldehyde, 10% Clorox, 75%ethanol, 2% phenol}}	_^1.00E+06	_{^{Room Temperature}}	_{^{less than 5 min}}		_{^{Virus isolation in cell culture}}
_^NIID	_{^{Virus culture+ 2% bovine serum}}	_^1.00E+06	_{^{minus 80°C}}	_{^{at least 4 days}}		_{^{Virus isolation and RT-PCR}}
	_{^{Virus culture+ 2% fetal calf serum}}	_^1.00E+06	_^4°C	_{^{at least 4 days}}		_{^{Virus isolation and RT-PCR}}
	_{^{Virus culture+ 2% fetal calf serum}}	_^1.00E+06	_^37°C	_{^{less than 4 days}}		_{^{Virus isolation and RT-PCR}}
	_{^{Virus culture+ 2% fetal calf serum}}	_^1.00E+05	_^56°C	_{^{less than 30min}}
_^UniM	_{^{Virus culture}}	_^1.00E+06	_^4°C	_{^{at least 21 days}}		_{^{Virus isolation}}
	_{^{Virus culture}}	_^1.00E+06	_{^{minus 80°C}}	_{^{at least 21 days}}		_{^{Virus isolation}}
CUHK	_{Virus in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) Virus in sterilized stool}	^_9.00E+04	_{Room Temperature on}	_PBS	_Stool	_{Virus isolation in cell culture}

			_{plastered wall}	24h	36h
			_{plastic surface}	36h	72h
			_{formica surface}	36h	36h
			_{stainless steel}	36h	72h
			_wood	12h	24h
			_{cotton cloth}	12h	24h
			_{pig skin}	≥24h	≥24h
			_{glass slide}	72h	96h
			_{paper file cover}	24h	36h

CUHK Chinese University Hong Kong
GVU: Government Virus Unit, Dept. of Health, Hong Kong, SAR China
QMH: Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
NIID: National Institute of infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
UnivM: University Marburg, Germany