Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41613914›Full record

ArticleAerosol science and technology : the journal of the American Association for Aerosol Research2025

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on air purifier filters in university spaces without symptomatic or confirmed cases.

Jing Li, Merel Bot, Xinlei Liu, Yuan Yao, Roel A Ophoff, Yifang Zhu

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Aerosol science and technology : the journal of the American Association for Aerosol Research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jing LiDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Merel BotCenter for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Xinlei LiuDepartment of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
Yuan YaoDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Roel A OphoffCenter for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Yifang ZhuDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Funding

Expanding Swabseq sequencing technology to enable readiness for emerging pathogensR01AI177859 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Valerie A Arboleda, ELEAZAR ESKIN · 2023 to 2026
$2.3M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI177859
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding the seasonality and prevalence of respiratory viruses in indoor environments is essential for protecting public health in the post-pandemic era. This study investigated the presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2 in university indoor spaces where no symptomatic or confirmed positive individuals were supposed to be present. A total of 127 high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter samples were analyzed from air purifiers installed in classrooms, conference rooms, and a community room within a university building across different seasons from Fall 2022 to Summer 2023. Viral RNA was extracted and quantified using RT-qPCR for each sample. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 21% of the samples, with the positivity rate varying significantly by room type but not by season. Among the 27 positive samples, viral RNA concentrations were significantly higher in fall-winter compared to summer, with no significant differences across room types. Additionally, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A virus (IAV) were detected in far fewer samples (positive rates: 2% and 4%, respectively) and at much lower concentrations than SARS-CoV-2. These findings provide evidence of the potential for airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission in shared indoor spaces, even in the absence of known infectious individuals. They also suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may circulate in each season, underscoring the continued need for interventions to reduce indoor viral exposure.

Identifiers

PMID41613914
PMCPMC12851557

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.