Min Kang, Jianjian Wei, Jun Yuan, Juxuan Guo, Yingtao Zhang, Jian Hang, Yabin Qu, Hua Qian, Yali Zhuang, Xuguang Chen, Xin Peng, Tongxing Shi, Jun Wang, Jie Wu, Tie Song, Jianfeng He, Yuguo Li, Nanshan Zhong
BACKGROUND: The role of fecal aerosols in the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been suspected. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the temporal and spatial distributions of 3 infected families in a high-rise apartment building and examine the associated environmental variables to verify the role of fecal aerosols. DESIGN: Epidemiologic survey and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analyses on throat swabs from the participants; 237 surface and air samples from 11 of the 83 flats in the building, public areas, and building drainage systems; and tracer gas released into bathrooms as a surrogate for virus-laden aerosols in the drainage system...
December 15, 2020: Annals of Internal Medicine