Study shows how diligent we have to be to keep surfaces germ-free
Only half of surfaces in animal hospital disinfected
March 25, 2020
Science Daily/Ohio State University
During the COVID-19 pandemic, every frequently touched surface outside our home seems as dangerous as a hot pot right out of the oven. We won't get burned if we touch it, but we might get infected with a potentially dangerous virus.
A recent study suggests that even organized efforts to clean surfaces can fall short, a reminder for us all that keeping our surroundings clean may require some additional work.
For 5 ½ weeks, researchers tagged surfaces of a small-animal veterinary practice daily with a fluorescent dye visible only under black light. They checked tagged surfaces 24 hours later to see if the marks were showing. Surfaces were considered cleaned if the dye was completely removed.
Results showed that overall, only half of all surfaces were adequately cleaned during the study period. Human-touch surfaces -- such as medical instruments, dog run handles, and computer mice and keyboards -- were cleaned less frequently than areas touched primarily by animals. The results were similar to studies from other veterinary clinics.
The researchers recommended creating checklists of surfaces that need to be regularly cleaned and educating all staff on the importance of proper cleaning to protect animal and human health.
"The concept of infectious diseases is around us all the time, but now it's more important than ever to take steps to protect ourselves," said senior study author Jason Stull, assistant professor of veterinary preventive medicine at The Ohio State University.
"A recent study concluded the coronavirus causing COVID-19 has the ability to survive on certain types of surfaces for hours to a few days. At veterinary practices, other businesses and certainly human hospitals, surface cleaning and disinfection is extremely important. People come in and may contaminate an area and that area potentially can serve as a source of infection for other people."
The study is published in the February issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
Stull specializes in veterinary infection control, including prevention of diseases that animals can share with each other or pass to humans -- such as Salmonella, E. coli and parasites.
For the current work, Stull and colleagues assessed almost 5,000 surfaces over the course of the study. On average, 50 percent of surfaces were cleaned, with broad variations by type of surface and hospital location. The human-touch surfaces were the least likely to be cleaned.
The study assessed everyday cleaning practices in a place where people spend lots of time with different animals and different people. It's not too much of a stretch to apply some lessons to what we're experiencing now with COVID-19, Stull said.
"Plenty of industries and groups outside of human health care have ramped up their efforts to clean and disinfect common-touch surfaces. The take-home messages from our study can have important parallels for others, such as other veterinary clinics, but also groups such as grocery stores.
"Our study also highlights that, despite our best efforts, 100 percent cleaning and disinfection is unlikely to occur. This is important to remember, as regardless of where you visit, it's also best to assume surfaces may be contaminated -- and before you come back into your home, you should follow the recommendations to clean your hands and clean items you've handled."
At home, Stull said, it makes sense to concentrate on cleaning common-touch surfaces like doorknobs and countertops.
"For the average person, it's thinking about your list of things in your own home and ensuring that in some way that you're actually hitting those pieces with reasonable effort," he said.
On a normal day, people who have touched commonly shared surfaces should wash their hands before eating or scratching their noses. But will we remain diligent about this level of personal cleanliness -- and community health -- once the worst of the coronavirus threat is behind us?
"People have a tendency to swing from extremes," Stull said. "Changing the innate behaviors of people is always difficult, and we've struggled in human and veterinary health care to change these everyday practices.
"The hard part is continuing these efforts. When we get to the end of this, and at some point that will happen, you will likely see people revert back to their norm. What we need is a culture shift, so people recognize that infection control through hand-washing and thorough cleaning of shared surfaces is a critically important thing we can all do all the time, and it has measurable impact."
Armando Hoet of Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine and Gregory Langdon of the College of Public Health also worked on the study.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200325120849.htm
Study reveals how long COVID-19 remains infectious on cardboard, metal and plastic
People may acquire coronavirus through air and by touching contaminated surfaces
March 20, 2020
Science Daily/University of California - Los Angeles
The virus that causes COVID-19 remains for several hours to days on surfaces and in aerosols, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found.
The study suggests that people may acquire the coronavirus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. Scientists discovered the virus is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.
"This virus is quite transmissible through relatively casual contact, making this pathogen very hard to contain," said James Lloyd-Smith, a co-author of the study and a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. "If you're touching items that someone else has recently handled, be aware they could be contaminated and wash your hands."
The study attempted to mimic the virus being deposited onto everyday surfaces in a household or hospital setting by an infected person through coughing or touching objects, for example. The scientists then investigated how long the virus remained infectious on these surfaces.
The study's authors are from UCLA, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Princeton University. They include Amandine Gamble, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in Lloyd-Smith's laboratory.
In February, Lloyd-Smith and colleagues reported in the journal eLife that screening travelers for COVID-19 is not very effective. People infected with the virus -- officially named SARS-CoV-2 -- may be spreading the virus without knowing they have it or before symptoms appear. Lloyd-Smith said the biology and epidemiology of the virus make infection extremely difficult to detect in its early stages because the majority of cases show no symptoms for five days or longer after exposure.
"Many people won't have developed symptoms yet," Lloyd-Smith said. "Based on our earlier analysis of flu pandemic data, many people may not choose to disclose if they do know."
The new study supports guidance from public health professionals to slow the spread of COVID-19:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, and dispose of the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a household cleaning spray or wipe.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200320192755.htm