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According to German researchers, there is no evidence concerning the existence of contamination with monkeypox virus, or monkey pox, by surfaces. They come to this conclusion after studying the presence of viral DNA in the rooms of patients affected by the disease.
The main mode of transmission of monkeypox is well known: it is through close physical contact with an infected person, especially with their lesions. On the other hand, transmission through surfaces is an issue that has been much less studied. For scientists, the presence of viral DNA in the rooms of sick people does not prove that contamination is possible through surfaces.
Study in patient rooms
To reach these conclusions and collect samples of viral DNA, the researchers wiped down the rooms of two patients hospitalized for monkeypox, but also the neighboring rooms. Each room had an antechamber, a sort of airlock, in which hospital staff put on and took off their personal protective equipment.
After analyzing these collections, the virus was found at 100,000 viral copies per square centimeter (estimated by PCR) and the scientists were able to isolate it from 1 million copies. This high viral load was particularly found in bathrooms or fabrics such as towels, hospital gowns or pillowcases, frequently used by patients.
No contamination yet
The viral load required for a monkeypox infection is not known by scientists. However, it would seem that it must be greater than these figures.
This is explained by Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo: “There are several factors that play into contamination by a virus. There is the viral load, which is the quantity of virus necessary to be infected, but also the contact time, which remains quite short, for surfaces, unlike sexual intercourse. Finally, the presence of the virus in the open air greatly reduces its lifespan..
Viral contamination is not synonymous with infectious virus
The authors point out that there are currently no precise data on the dose of virus that leads to monkeypox infection in humans. However, it is assumed to require a significantly higher dose to trigger infection than, for example, the smallpox virus.
“Beyond the mechanism of contamination, we should understand why it is homosexual men who are the most affected” adds the doctor. The researchers recall that the detection of viral DNA “cannot be assimilated to an infectious virus“.
They conclude that “regular disinfection of frequent hand and skin contact points during care processes in addition to regular cleaning of rooms and disinfection of surfaces using products with at least virucidal activity against enveloped viruses can reduce the infectious virus on surfaces and thus risk nosocomial transmission”.