Emergencies preparedness, response
world health organisation
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 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
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
