A comparative study on the persistence and viability of SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and omicron variant on artificially contaminated surfaces: the role of fomites.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro bench study evaluating viral persistence and viability on materials.
PubMed 37483123 · doi:10.1080/22221751.2023.2239941
What was done
The authors compared the persistence and viability of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1 and Omicron BA.1 on artificially contaminated daily-use materials over 5 days. Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), cardboard, polystyrene, aluminium, and plastic were tested with both strains; glass, plexiglass, cotton, polyester, and tetrapak were evaluated with BA.1 alone. Persistence was measured by viral RNA detection, and viability was assessed using cytopathic effect (CPE) in Vero E6 cell cultures.
What was found
Viral RNA became undetectable within 24 hours on cotton and 48 hours on polyester, with viable virus undetectable within 30 minutes on both fabrics. On all other materials, viral RNA was detectable up to 120 hours post-contamination for both lineages. Viral load decayed rapidly on cardboard, particularly for Omicron. Overall, Omicron BA.1 displayed longer stability across materials compared to B.1, albeit with less intense CPE. EVA supported the longest viability, maintaining detectable CPE up to 72 hours post-contamination.
Why it matters
These data demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 variant stability varies substantially by surface type and viral lineage, with Omicron surviving longer on certain synthetic surfaces than earlier strains. This helps guide cleaning protocols, though actual transmission depends on exposure dynamics.
Limits
The study is an in vitro bench experiment using artificial inoculation rather than real-world human deposition. The abstract does not report specific inoculum concentrations, environmental temperature, relative humidity, or sample replicates. In vitro viability on cell culture does not establish human infectious dose or real-world infection risk.
Cited by
- partial Coronavirus remains transmissible on cardboard surfaces for as long as 48 hours.