Ashleigh Montle
Research Mentor: Ke Zhang
Mentor Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Engineering
Author(s): Ashleigh Montle
Session: Session 4 (1:00 PM – 1:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 95
Abstract
Environmental surveillance of influenza A viruses in indoor environments is an important tool for informing community transmission risk. The current method of environmental surveillance relies solely on the detection of the viral RNA genome, which may not accurately represent the infectivity. The current study compares the decay of the viral RNA genome vs. its infectivity decay in saliva, a representative respiratory secretion. Infectivity of influenza samples was measured using 50% Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID50) assays. The presence of the viral RNA genome was measured using Reverse Transcription Droplet Digital PCR (RT-ddPCR). The data from both methods of testing were compared to determine how the viral infectivity and the presence of the viral RNA genome decay over time. The results showed that although the viral RNA was measurable for extended periods of time, the ability of the virus to infect host cells decayed much more quickly. These findings indicate that environmental surveillance methods of influenza relying only on the presence of the viral genome likely overestimate the influenza transmission risk. This shows that the current surveillance data needs careful interpretation when informing transmission risks. This could lead to more accurate public health data, which could in turn lead to better mitigation strategies during influenza outbreaks.
