SARS-CoV-2 Short-Time Infection Produces Relevant Cytopathic Effects in Vero E6 Cell Line

Luisa Zupin, Francesco Fontana, Rossella Gratton, Margherita Milani, Libera Clemente, Lorella Pascolo, Maurizio Ruscio and Sergio Crovella
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Luisa Zupin: Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Francesco Fontana: Division of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), 34129 Trieste, Italy
Rossella Gratton: Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Margherita Milani: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy
Libera Clemente: Division of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), 34129 Trieste, Italy
Lorella Pascolo: Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Maurizio Ruscio: Division of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), 34129 Trieste, Italy
Sergio Crovella: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Qatar, Doha 2713, Qatar

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-7

Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets from positive subjects to susceptible hosts or by direct contact with an infected individual. Our study focuses on the in vitro minimal time of viral absorption as well as the minimal quantity of virus able to establish a persistent infection in Vero E6 cells. We observed that 1 min of in vitro virus exposure is sufficient to generate a cytopathic effect in cells after 7 days of infection, even at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) value of 0.01. Being aware that our findings have been obtained using an in vitro cellular model, we demonstrated that short-time exposures and low viral concentrations are able to cause infection, thus opening questions about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility even following short contact times.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; infection; Vero E6 cells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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