ArticleThe Science of the total environment2020
SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in the air and on surfaces in the COVID-19 ward of a hospital in Milan, Italy.
Article in The Science of the total environment, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 137 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
137 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 266 citations in OpenAlex.
- How long do bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses retain their replication capacity on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review examining environmental resilience versus healthcare-associated infection risk by "fomite-borne risk assessment".Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- A review of strategies and their effectiveness in reducing indoor airborne transmission and improving indoor air quality.Environmental research · 2022Pooled it
- SARS-CoV-2 air sampling: A systematic review on the methodologies for detection and infectivity.Indoor air · 2022Pooled it
- A review on measurements of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air in outdoor and indoor environments: Implication for airborne transmission.The Science of the total environment · 2022Pooled it
- Surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2: A systematic review.The Science of the total environment · 2021Pooled it
- Contamination of Air and Surfaces in Workplaces with SARS-CoV-2 Virus: A Systematic Review.Annals of work exposures and health · 2021Pooled it
- SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review of indoor air sampling for virus detection.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021Pooled it
- Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on inanimate surfaces: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of epidemiology · 2021Pooled it
- Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via aerosols.Reviews in medical virology · 2021Pooled it
- Airborne spread of infectious SARS-CoV-2: Moving forward using lessons from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.The Science of the total environment · 2021Pooled it
- Environmental Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus RNA in Health Facilities in Brazil and a Systematic Review on Contamination Sources.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- An updated systematic review on the association between atmospheric particulate matter pollution and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2.Environmental research · 2021Pooled it
- [Is Disinfection of Public Surfaces useful for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections?]Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2021Pooled it
- Assessment of Air Contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in Hospital Settings.JAMA network open · 2020Pooled it
- Integrated monitoring of enveloped viruses in hospital environments: Detection, persistence, and implications for infection control.PloS one · 2026Article
- Development and optimization of disinfection protocol for negative pressure wards: a Delphi study.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Article
- Air, surface, and wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2; a multimodal evaluation of COVID-19 detection in a built environment.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2025Article
- From air to insight: the evolution of airborne DNA sequencing technologies.Microbiology (Reading, England) · 2025Review
- Article
77 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak has rapidly progressed worldwide finding the health system, scientists and society unprepared to face a little-known, fast spreading, and extremely deadly virus. Italy is one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, resulting in healthcare facilities bearing heavy burdens and severe restrictive measures. Despite efforts to clarify the virus transmission, especially in indoor scenarios, several aspects of SARS-CoV-2 spread are still rudimentary. This study evaluated the contamination of the air and surfaces by SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the COVID-19 isolation ward of a hospital in Milan, Italy. A total of 42 air and surface samples were collected inside five different zones of the ward including contaminated (COVID-19 patients' area), semi-contaminated (undressing room), and clean areas. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection was performed using real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Overall, 24.3% of swab samples were positive, but none of these were collected in the clean area. Thus, the positivity rate was higher in contaminated (35.0%) and semi-contaminated (50.0%) areas than in clean areas (0.0%; P<0.05). The most contaminated surfaces were hand sanitizer dispensers (100.0%), medical equipment (50.0%), medical equipment touch screens (50.0%), shelves for medical equipment (40.0%), bedrails (33.3%), and door handles (25.0%). All the air samples collected from the contaminated area, namely the intensive care unit and corridor, were positive while viral RNA was not detected in either semi-contaminated or clean areas. These results showed that environmental contamination did not involve clean areas, but the results also support the need for strict disinfection, hand hygiene and protective measures for healthcare workers as well as the need for airborne isolation precautions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.