Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Semeraro, Sabrina; Gaetano, Anastasia Serena; Zupin, Luisa; Poloni, Carlo; Merlach, Elvio; Greco, Enrico; Licen, Sabina; Fontana, Francesco; Leo, Silvana; Miani, Alessandro; Broccolo, Francesco; Barbieri, Pierluigi

doi:10.3390/ijerph192113790

Open AccessProtocol

Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

by

Sabrina Semeraro

^1,†,

Anastasia Serena Gaetano

^1,2,†

,

Luisa Zupin

^3,*

,

Carlo Poloni

^1,4,

Elvio Merlach

²,

Enrico Greco

^1,2,5,*

,

Sabina Licen

^1,2

,

Francesco Fontana

⁶,

Silvana Leo

^7,*,

Alessandro Miani

^5,8,

Francesco Broccolo

^5,9,10 and

Pierluigi Barbieri

^1,2,5,*

¹

INSTM National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, Research Unit of University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy

²

Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy

³

Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Via dell’Istria 65/1, 34137 Trieste, Italy

⁴

Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy

⁵

SIMA Società Italiana di Medicina Ambientale, Viale di Porta Vercellina, 9, 20123 Milano, Italy

⁶

Ospedale San Polo, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina, Via Luigi Galvani 1, 34074 Monfalcone, Italy

⁷

Division of Oncology, Vito Fazzi Hospital, P.za Muratore 1, 73100 Lecce, Italy

⁸

Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milano, Italy

⁹

Department of Medicine and Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy

¹⁰

Cerba HealthCare Italia, Via Durini, 14, 20122 Milano, Italy

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 13790; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113790

Submission received: 19 September 2022 / Revised: 18 October 2022 / Accepted: 19 October 2022 / Published: 23 October 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Health and Epidemiology)

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Abstract

Background: Standardized methods for testing Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) of tissues and devices are lacking and few studies are available on aerosolizing, sampling and assessing infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in controlled laboratory settings. NanoAg-coated endonasal filters appear a promising aid for lowering viable virus inhalation in both adult and younger populations (e.g., adolescents). Objective: to provide an adequate method for testing SARS-CoV-2 bioaerosol VFE of bio-gel Ag nanoparticles endonasal filters, by a model system, assessing residual infectivity as cytopathic effect and viral proliferation on in vitro cell cultures. Methods: A SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission chamber fed by a BLAM aerosol generator produces challenges (from very high viral loads (10⁵ PFU/mL) to lower ones) for endonasal filters positioned in a Y shape sampling port connected to a Biosampler. An aerosol generator, chamber and sampler are contained in a class II cabinet in a BSL3 facility. Residual infectivity is assessed from aliquots of liquid collecting bioaerosol, sampled without and with endonasal filters. Cytopathic effect as plaque formation and viral proliferation assessed by qRT-PCR on Vero E6 cells are determined up to 7 days post inoculum. Results: Each experimental setting is replicated three times and basic statistics are calculated. Efficiency of aerosolization is determined as difference between viral load in the nebulizer and in the Biosampler at the first day of experiment. Efficiency of virus filtration is calculated as RNA viral load ratio in collected bioaerosol with and without endonasal filters at the day of the experiment. Presence of infectious virus is assessed by plaque forming unit assay and RNA viral load variations. Conclusions: A procedure and apparatus for assessing SARS-CoV-2 VFE for endonasal filters is proposed. The apparatus can be implemented for more sophisticated studies on contaminated aerosols.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission; endonasal filters; viral filtration efficacy protocol; bio-gel AgNP filters

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MDPI and ACS Style

Semeraro, S.; Gaetano, A.S.; Zupin, L.; Poloni, C.; Merlach, E.; Greco, E.; Licen, S.; Fontana, F.; Leo, S.; Miani, A.; et al. Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113790

AMA Style

Semeraro S, Gaetano AS, Zupin L, Poloni C, Merlach E, Greco E, Licen S, Fontana F, Leo S, Miani A, et al. Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(21):13790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113790

Chicago/Turabian Style

Semeraro, Sabrina, Anastasia Serena Gaetano, Luisa Zupin, Carlo Poloni, Elvio Merlach, Enrico Greco, Sabina Licen, Francesco Fontana, Silvana Leo, Alessandro Miani, and et al. 2022. "Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 21: 13790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113790

APA Style

Semeraro, S., Gaetano, A. S., Zupin, L., Poloni, C., Merlach, E., Greco, E., Licen, S., Fontana, F., Leo, S., Miani, A., Broccolo, F., & Barbieri, P. (2022). Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 13790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113790

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Operative Protocol for Testing the Efficacy of Nasal Filters in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

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