Viable influenza A virus in airborne particles expelled during coughs versus exhalations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrew, Michael E. ; Beezhold, Donald H. ; Blanchere, Francoise M. ; Burrell CN ; Goldsmith WT ; Lindsley, William G. ; McMillen CM ; Noorbakhsh B ; Noti JD ; Othumpangat S ; Thewlis RE
• Description:
  Background: In order to prepare for a possible influenza pandemic, a better understanding of the potential for airborne transmission of influenza from person to person is needed. Objectives: The objective of this study was to directly compare the generation of aerosol particles containing viable influenza virus during coughs and exhalations. Methods: Sixty-one adult volunteer outpatients with influenza-like symptoms were asked to cough and exhale three times into a spirometer. Aerosol particles produced during coughing and exhalation were collected into liquid media using aerosol samplers. The samples were tested for the presence of viable influenza virus using a viral replication assay (VRA). Results: Fifty-three test subjects tested positive for influenza A virus. Of these, 28 (53%) produced aerosol particles containing viable influenza A virus during coughing, and 22 (42%) produced aerosols with viable virus during exhalation. Thirteen subjects had both cough aerosol and exhalation aerosol samples that contained viable virus, 15 had positive cough aerosol samples but negative exhalation samples, and 9 had positive exhalation samples but negative cough samples. Conclusions: Viable influenza A virus was detected more often in cough aerosol particles than in exhalation aerosol particles, but the difference was not large. Since individuals breathe much more often than they cough, these results suggest that breathing may generate more airborne infectious material than coughing over time. However, both respiratory activities could be important in airborne influenza transmission. Our results are also consistent with the theory that much of the aerosol containing viable influenza originates deep in the lungs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Communicable Diseases Influenza, Human Lung Men Microbiology Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Viral Diseases Women

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• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Airborne Particles Airborne Particulates Airborne Transmission Air Contaminants Air Microbiology Author Keywords: Aerosols Cough Humans Infectious Diseases Infectious Disease Transmission Influenza Respiration Respiratory Infections Samplers Statistical Analysis Viral Diseases

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• ISSN:
  1750-2640
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  404-413
• Volume:
  10
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047746
• Citation:
  Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2016 Sep; 10(5):404-413
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. William G. Lindsley, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, M/S 4020, Morgantown, WV 26505-2845
• Email:
  wlindsley@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e863ab195d62df58b2cbb0c9eb08bca53d84113655700bb9bd15efb9b789c675ae919b88f82a43622fd67fd645ed4ceb76c781cbb2623975f800bc79e4406b09
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202738/cdc_202738_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 279.11 KB ]