Increased small particle aerosol transmission of B.1.1.7 compared with SARS-CoV-2 lineage A in vivo.

ABSTRACT: The major transmission route for SARS-CoV-2 is airborne. However, previous studies could not elucidate the contribution between large droplets and aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Here, we designed and validated an optimized transmission caging setup, which allows for the assessment of aerosol transmission efficiency at various distances. At a distance of 2 m, only particles of <5 μm traversed between cages. Using this setup, we investigated the relative efficiency of aerosol transmission between the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) and lineage A in Syrian hamsters. Aerosol transmission of both variants was confirmed in all sentinels after 24 h of exposure as demonstrated by respiratory virus shedding and seroconversion. Productive transmission also occurred after 1 h

SUBMITTER: Port JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11218742 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature