First data on stability and resistance of SARS coronavirus compiled by members of WHO laboratory network
12 November 2021
| Meeting report
Overview
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 log10PFU | 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 | 6 hr | Virus isolation in cell culture | |
| virus in diarrheal stool | 7.50E+03 | pH 9 | 4 days | 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+03 | 30-37°C | at least 1 hr | Virus isolation in cell culture | |
| Virus culture medium+ 1% fetal calf serum | 1.00E+04 | 56°C | degradation 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 30 min | ||
| 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 |
| 9.00E+04 | Room temperature on | PBS Stool | Virus isolation in cell culture |
| plastered wall | 24 h 36h | ||||
| plastic surface | 36 h 72h | ||||
| formica surface | 36 h 36h | ||||
| stainless steel | 36h 72h | ||||
| wood | 12 h 24h | ||||
| cotton cloth | 12h 24h | ||||
| pig skin | ≥24h ≥24h | ||||
| glass slide | 72 h 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
WHO Team
Communicable Diseases