Investigation of the stability and risks of fomite transmission of human coronavirus OC43 on leather

Date

2021-08-30

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

ISSN

1574-6968

Volume Title

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Type

Article

Peer reviewed

Yes

Abstract

Limited research exists on the potential for leather to act as a fomite of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or endemic coronaviruses including human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43; this is important for settings such as the shoe manufacturing industry. Antiviral coating of leather hides could limit such risks. This study aimed to investigate the stability and transfer of HCoVOC43 on different leathers, as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2, and assess the antiviral efficacy of a silver-based leather coating. The stability of HCoV-OC43 (6.6 log10) on patent, full-grain calf, corrected grain finished and nubuck leathers (silver additive-coated and uncoated) was measured by titration on BHK-21 cells. Transfer from leather to cardboard and stainless steel was determined. HCoV-OC43 was detectable for 6 h on patent, 24 h on finished leather and 48 h on calf leather; no infectious virus was recovered from nubuck. HCoV-OC43 transferred from patent, finished and calf leathers onto cardboard and stainless steel up to 2 h post-inoculation (≤3.1–5.5 log10), suggesting that leathers could act as fomites. Silver additive-coated calf and finished leathers were antiviral against HCoV-OC43, with no infectious virus recovered after 2 h and limited transfer to other surfaces. The silver additive could reduce potential indirect transmission of HCoV-OC43 from leather.

Description

open access article

Keywords

human coronavirus OC43, stability, leather, antiviral, TCID50

Citation

Shivkumar, M., Adkin, P., Owen, L., Laird, K. (2021) Investigation of the stability and risks of fomite transmission of human coronavirus OC43 on leather. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 368(16), fnab112.

Rights

Research Institute