SARS-CoV-2 infection: the environmental endurance of the virus can be influenced by the increase of temperature()

Magurano, Fabio; Baggieri, Melissa; Marchi, Antonella; Rezza, Giovanni; Nicoletti, Loredana

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the current study is to evaluate whether the increase of temperature can influence the environmental endurance of SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: The virus was inoculated on plastic surface and harvested at predefined time-points in parallel at 20-25°C (RT) and at 28°C (JT). Samples collections were tested by TCID(50) titers on Vero cells. Samples collections were tested by TCID(50) titers on Vero cells. RESULTS: Our results confirm that fomite transmission of the emerging SARS-CoV2 is possible: the virus reserved its ability to infect cells up to 84 hours at both RT and JT on plastic surface, with a TCID(50) viral titre of 0,67 and 0,25 log10 respectively. At RT, an important reduction in the viral titre, from 4 log10 to 3 log10 TCID(50) was observed during the first 24-36 hours. At JT the same decay was observed more rapidly (between 8 and 12 hours), The rate of viral inactivation by D-value was 24.74 at RT and 12,21 hours at JT. CONCLUSIONS: This remarkable difference between the two temperatures suggests that virus vitality can be influenced by the environmental temperature and that the hot season could reduce the probability of COVID-19 transmission.