TY - JOUR
T1 - Interactions of SARS-CoV-2 with inanimate surfaces in built and transportation environments
AU - Ghasemi, Hamid
AU - Yazdani, Hessam
AU - Fini, Elham H.
AU - Mansourpanah, Yaghoub
N1 - Funding Information:
Some of the computing for this project was performed at the OU Supercomputing Center for Education & Research (OSCER) at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The authors also acknowledge Research Computing at Arizona State University for providing HPC resources that have contributed to the research results reported within this paper.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Understanding the interactions and transmission of pathogens with/via inanimate surfaces common in the built environment and public transport vehicles is critical to promoting sustainable and resilient urban development. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to study the adhesion of SARS-CoV-2 (the causative agent of COVID-19) to some of these surfaces at different temperatures (same for surfaces and ambiance) ranging from −23 to 60 °C. Surfaces simulated are aluminum, copper, copper oxide, polyethylene (PE), and silicon dioxide (SiO2). Steered MD (SMD) simulations are also used to investigate the transfer of the virus from PE and SiO2 when a contaminated surface is touched. The virus shows the lowest and highest adhesions to PE and SiO2, respectively (20 vs 534 eV). Influence of temperature is not found to be noticeable. Using simulated water molecules to represent moisture on the skin, SMD simulations show that water molecules can lift the virus from the PE surface but damage the virus when lifting it from the the SiO2 surface. The results suggest that the PE surface is a more favorable surface to transmit the virus than the other surfaces simulated in this study. The results are compared with those reported in a few experimental studies.
AB - Understanding the interactions and transmission of pathogens with/via inanimate surfaces common in the built environment and public transport vehicles is critical to promoting sustainable and resilient urban development. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to study the adhesion of SARS-CoV-2 (the causative agent of COVID-19) to some of these surfaces at different temperatures (same for surfaces and ambiance) ranging from −23 to 60 °C. Surfaces simulated are aluminum, copper, copper oxide, polyethylene (PE), and silicon dioxide (SiO2). Steered MD (SMD) simulations are also used to investigate the transfer of the virus from PE and SiO2 when a contaminated surface is touched. The virus shows the lowest and highest adhesions to PE and SiO2, respectively (20 vs 534 eV). Influence of temperature is not found to be noticeable. Using simulated water molecules to represent moisture on the skin, SMD simulations show that water molecules can lift the virus from the PE surface but damage the virus when lifting it from the the SiO2 surface. The results suggest that the PE surface is a more favorable surface to transmit the virus than the other surfaces simulated in this study. The results are compared with those reported in a few experimental studies.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Fomites coronavirus
KW - Resilient society
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - Surface transmission
KW - Sustainable development
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U2 - 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103031
DO - 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103031
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85106353184
SN - 2210-6707
VL - 72
JO - Sustainable Cities and Society
JF - Sustainable Cities and Society
M1 - 103031
ER -