Air and surface sampling for monkeypox virus in a UK hospital: an observational study
The Lancet Microbe·
- DOI
- 10.1016/s2666-5247(22)00257-9
- PMID
- 36215984
- PMCID
- PMC9546519
- OpenAlex
- W4303473150
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Publication version
This article has a linked preprint
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Open linked preprint →Why this research matters now
The findings demonstrate environmental contamination in isolation facilities and potential for airborne suspension of monkeypox virus during specific activities such as bedding changes. Contamination of healthcare worker PPE and doffing areas underscores the importance of infection control protocols, proper PPE use, and doffing procedures in preventing nosocomial transmission.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study measured the extent of environmental contamination with monkeypox virus in isolation rooms of symptomatic patients at a UK hospital.
Study design
This observational study collected surface swabs from high-touch areas, personal protective equipment, and doffing areas, as well as air samples before and during bedding changes in isolation rooms between May and June 2022. Quantitative PCR was used to assess contamination levels, and virus isolation was performed on selected positive samples to confirm infectious virus.
Population and setting
The investigation took place in five isolation rooms housing patients with symptomatic monkeypox at the Royal Free Hospital in London, UK, during the 2022 outbreak in non-endemic countries.
Main findings
Widespread surface contamination was detected, with 93% of surface samples testing positive for monkeypox DNA. Five of 20 air samples were positive, including three of four samples collected before and during bedding change in one patient's room. Replication-competent virus was identified in half of the samples selected for viral isolation, including from air collected during bedding change.
Public-health relevance
The findings demonstrate environmental contamination in isolation facilities and potential for airborne suspension of monkeypox virus during specific activities such as bedding changes. Contamination of healthcare worker PPE and doffing areas underscores the importance of infection control protocols, proper PPE use, and doffing procedures in preventing nosocomial transmission.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full assessment of study limitations including sample size, generalizability, and methodological constraints requires access to the complete published article.
GIDS interpretation
This article would be discoverable through GIDS queries for monkeypox outbreak investigations, environmental transmission pathways, and healthcare infection control during the 2022 multi-country outbreak. The UK country tag and transmission dynamics topic enable retrieval in surveillance contexts examining infection prevention measures and nosocomial risk assessment.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.