Viral Cultures for Assessing Airborne Transmission of SARs-CoV-2: a Systematic Review

We plan to systematically review the evidence for airborne transmission with high-level confirmatory studies of infection that include viral culture or longitudinal serial PCRs with or without gene sequencing. To assess the transmission potential of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, we aim to address the following questions:Are airborne samples infectious? If so, what proportions are infectious, and what is the distance and duration of infectiousness in the air? What is the relationship between infectiousness and Airborne PCR cycle threshold (Ct)?Is there evidence of a chain of transmission that establishes an actual instance of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2? What circumstances might facilitate infectious viruses being airborne over long distances?

本研究拟采用包含病毒培养、联合或不联合基因测序的纵向连续聚合酶链式反应（Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR）检测的高质量验证性感染研究，对空气传播相关证据开展系统性综述。为评估严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型（SARS-CoV-2）的空气传播潜能，本研究拟解答以下问题：空气采集样本是否具有感染性？若样本具备感染性，其感染样本占比为多少，且空气中感染性病毒的传播距离与存活时长分别为何？感染性与空气PCR循环阈值（Cycle Threshold, Ct）之间存在何种关联？是否存在可证实严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型实际空气传播案例的传播链证据？哪些环境条件可促进感染性病毒经空气实现长距离传播？