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A new long-term sampling approach to viruses on surfaces
Julia Sommer1, Martin Bobal2,3, Birgit Bromberger2
1Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health Department for Farm Animals and Public Health in Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria. julia.sommer@vetmeduni.ac.at.
Scientific Reports
|September 3, 2021
Summary
New paper-based stickers offer a promising method for collecting virus genomic data over 14 days, improving upon traditional swabbing for understanding virus transmission routes and prevention.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Virology
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Public Health Surveillance
Background:
- Understanding virus transmission routes is crucial for preventing outbreaks, but current sampling methods offer limited insights.
- Conventional swabbing captures only a snapshot of viral load, hindering long-term monitoring.
- Improved sampling strategies are needed for reliable collection of viral genomic data over extended periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a novel paper-based sticker for collecting reliable viral genomic data.
- To assess the sticker's efficacy over extended periods (up to 14 days) and after hygiene interventions.
- To compare the sticker approach with conventional swabbing methods for virus collection.
Main Methods:
- Development and deployment of paper-based, one-side adhesive stickers on various surfaces.
- Collection of viral genomic data from stickers over time (up to 14 days).
- Testing sticker performance under different hygiene measure scenarios and at low virus titers.
Main Results:
- Paper-based stickers demonstrated stable virus recovery characteristics, even with low viral titers.
- Reliable virus detection was achieved using stickers after routine hygiene measures were implemented.
- The stickers effectively collected viral genomic data over extended periods up to 14 days.
Conclusions:
- The paper-based sticker approach shows potential for enhanced viral genomic data collection.
- This method offers advantages over conventional swabbing for long-term surface virus monitoring.
- Further research is needed to validate the sticker's benefits across diverse virus types.
