Viral Load Distribution in SARS Outbreak

摘要

An unprecedented community outbreak of severeacute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in the AmoyGardens, a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong.Droplet, air, contaminated fomites, and rodent pests havebeen proposed to be mechanisms for transmitting SARS ina short period. We studied nasopharyngeal viral load ofSARS patients on admission and their geographic distribu-tion. Higher nasopharyngeal viral load was found inpatients living in adjacent units of the same block inhabitedby the index patient, while a lower but detectable nasopha-ryngeal viral load was found in patients living further awayfrom the index patient. This pattern of nasopharyngeal viralload suggested that airborne transmission played an impor-tant part in this outbreak in Hong Kong. Contaminatedfomites and rodent pests may have also played a role