Persistence of Infectivity of Different Enteroviruses on a Surrogate Fomite: Correlation with Clinical Case Incidence

Enteroviruses of the Picornaviridae family are transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route. Transmission may occur following hand contact with contaminated fomites and subsequent ingestion of virus conveyed to the mouth by the contaminated hand. The persistence of these viruses on fomites likely plays a role in this transmission scenario. Six echoviruses (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7) that cause frequently reported clinical cases in the United States were studied, along with poliovirus type 1 vaccine strain LSc-2ab. The infectivity half-lives of the enteroviruses deposited on vinyl tile coupons in a 10% fecal solution ranged from 1.7 to 12.6 h. The echovirus serotypes most commonly associated with reported infections persisted longer on the vinyl tiles than the less commonly reported types. This increased persistence on surfaces may favor the transmission of these echoviruses through the fecal-oral route. These results inform the future selection of appropriate model enteroviruses for challenging newly formulated and eco-friendly disinfectants or other strategies in infection prevention and control for enteroviruses.