Date: Sun, 04 May 2003 23:34:51 -0500 From: Brooks Bradley <brooks.brad...@worldnet.att.net> Organization: HARBORNE RESEARCH FOUNDATION Several years past, we were privy to a series of evaluations, conducted by another institution, in which they were unable to find a flu-like virus----from among a large number----which could survive direct exposure to 10% acetic acid (common vinegar) combined with a very weak surfactant (detergent); and less than 5% of these viruses could survive an environment of 5% acetic acid. A majority of them were completely unable to replicate in an environment presenting with acetic acid concentrations as low as 3.75% . One can only assume that the many gifted research facilities addressing the SARS challenge .have tested----and confirmed that SARS .unlike the flu-like viruses tested by this small research group is immune to organic acid environments below %? Sincerely, Brooks Bradley. C Creel wrote: > SARS can live on common surfaces > By Rob Stein, The > Washington Post > The SARS virus can survive on common surfaces at room > temperature for hours or even days, which could explain > how people can catch the deadly lung infection without > face-to-face contact with a sick person, scientists have > found. > NEW LABORATORY STUDIES, being released today, have > > produced the first scientific data on how long the SARS > virus > can live in various places and conditions, > demonstrating for the > first time that the microbe can > linger outside an infected > person's body. > One study showed the virus survived for at least 24 > hours on a plastic surface at room temperature, which > suggests it might be > possible to become infected from > touching a tabletop, doorknob or other object. Another > found the microbe remained viable for as long as four > days in human waste, a crucial finding that could > clarify how the virus can spread through apartment > buildings, hospitals and other facilities. > German scientists found a common detergent failed to kill > the virus, indicating that some efforts to sterilize > contaminated > areas may be ineffective. An experiment > conducted in Japan concluded that the virus could live > for extended periods in the cold, suggesting it could > survive the winter. >> The long-awaited findings should be crucial for >> containing the > epidemic, and they could solve one of >> the most important > mysteries about the new disease: how >> the virus spreads > without direct exposure to infected >> individuals. > "It's the first time we have hard data on the > survival of the > virus. Before, we were just > speculating," Klaus Stohr, the> World Health Organization's > top SARS scientist, said > yesterday. "There has been a > lot of speculation that the touching of objects could be > involved. This shows that > transmission by contaminated hands or contaminated objects > in the environment can play a role." > In addition, the findings will help researchers develop > better > tests for the virus and possible treatments. Now > that they know > what temperatures kill the virus, > researchers can purify serum > from sick people to use > in calibrating tests and possibly to give > other patients > as a therapy. Serum contains antibodies that are > > measured by tests. In addition, the antibodies could work > as a > treatment if they can neutralize the virus. >> CASES INCREASE > The new data come as the number of cases continues > to increase. An additional 191 cases and 18 deaths were > reported yesterday, bringing the toll to 6,234 cases in > 27 countries, and > 435 deaths, according to the WHO. > Outbreaks appear to be > under control in Hanoi, Hong > Kong, Singapore and Toronto, > but the disease was still > spreading in many parts of China, and > Taiwan has > experienced a sharp jump in cases in the past> week. >> U.S. health officials are investigating 54 probable cases >> in this > country, including three in Virginia, and are >> monitoring an > additional 237 suspected cases. >> The >> results were produced by laboratories in Hong Kong,> >> Japan, Germany and Beijing that are part of a >> scientific > network organized by WHO to study the >> previously unknown > virus. The findings were compiled and >> analyzed over the past > few days and were to be >> posted on WHO's Web site today so > public health >> workers around the world can begin using them > to keep >> the virus from spreading, said Stohr, who described the> >> findings in a telephone interview. >> "These studies are very important for designing >> strategies for > cleaning and disinfecting," Stohr said. >> Stohr stressed that a key unknown is how much virus >> is > necessary for someone to become infected. So even >> though the virus can survive in the environment, it >> remains unknown > whether it can survive in sufficient >> quantities to be dangerous, he said. > "What we're seeing is that this virus certainly has > the capacity to stay in the environment. What we don't > know is the > infectious dose," he said. >> Stohr also emphasized that by far, the primary mode >> of transmission was through droplets that spray out when >> an infected person sneezes or coughs. >> ALTERNATIVE TRANSMISSION ROUTES But researchers had become >> increasingly suspicious that there were alternative >> transmission routes because of incidents in which people >> became infected without close personal contact with a sick >> person. >> The most disturbing case involved a 33-story apartment >> tower in the Amoy Gardens complex in Hong Kong. >> Hundreds of people living in the building were infected, >> forcing authorities to evacuate the residents to quarantine >> camps. > An intensive investigation concluded that the outbreak may > have been caused by a man who caught SARS, developed > diarrhea and used his brother's bathroom in the building. > Investigators found a small crack in a sewage pipe in > the building and speculated that the virus spread through > the building in droplets that became airborne from the > leak. > "There has been a lot of speculation about how the > Amoy Gardens got infected. No one knew whether the > hypothesis would hold. This would support the theory that > ... sewage coming out from that crack could have > contaminated the air," Stohr said. > In the new research, scientists in Hong Kong mixed > virus into normal human adult feces and diarrhea, as > well as feces from a 6-month-old baby. The virus survived > in the baby's feces for three hours, in normal feces > for six hours, and in diarrhea for four days. The > difference appears to be the acidity -- the virus> > survives longer as the acidity decreases, Stohr said. >> "This is important, because traces of stool could occur >> on surfaces in hospitals. So this is very important to >> know in sterilizing those environments," Stohr said. >> In another set of studies, scientists in Japan examined >> how > well the virus weathered extreme temperatures. The >> virus died > at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and above, >> started to deteriorate at > 40 degrees but seemed to >> remain viable indefinitely when > temperatures dropped to >> 32 degrees. Scientists in Beijing > produced similar >> results. >> "This means that if the virus is being kept at >> lower temperatures, we have to think about next winter," >> Stohr said. German researchers, meanwhile, placed the virus >> on a plastic > surface at room temperature and found it >> could survive as long as 24 hours. "It survived >> easily," Stohr said. Another team in Hong Kong produced >> similar results. >> The German scientists also found that a commonly used >> detergent appeared to have little effect on the virus. >> The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning a >> large-scale study to test a large number of >> disinfectants against the virus, > Stohr said. >> Other teams in Singapore and Hong Kong have also >> been> testing the virus's ability to survive in various >> temperatures and > levels of humidity; in blood; and on >> metals, plastics, paper and > cotton. Those results could >> come within days, Stohr said. "We're beginning to understand how this virus can survive in > the environment," he said.
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