.png){kind=logo}
Date | Friday, September 24, 2021 |
Time | 10:00 - 10:50 a.m. CDT |
Location | 2311 Newmark Civil Engineering Building (In-person/Online Hybrid) |
Zoom link | |
Speaker | Dr. Chang-Yu Wu, Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida |
Sponsor | UIUC AAAR Student Chapter, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering |
Description
Since its first report to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019, there have been 221M confirmed cases and 4.6M deaths of COVID-19 worldwide, as of September 6, 2021. To effectively control its spread, the transmission of the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, needs to be understood. Because the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosol particles but failure to isolate viable (infectious) virus is commonly reported, there is substantial controversy whether SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted through aerosol. This conundrum occurs because common air samplers are either inefficient or can inactivate virions through their harsh collection processes. We sought to resolve the question by engineering a novel air sampler (Viable Virus Aerosol Sampler, VIVAS) that operates on a laminar-flow water vapor condensation principle coupled with gentle impaction. Aerosol particles entering VIVAS are first cooled at its conditioner and then subsequently enter its initiator wherein particles get encapsulated in water droplets a few micrometers in diameter. These particle-laden droplets then travel through nozzles to efficiently impinge onto collection medium. Using VIVAS, we successfully isolated viable SARS-CoV-2 from air samples collected 2 to 4.8 m away from COVID-19 patients in a hospital room. The genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated from the material collected by VIVAS was identical to that isolated from the nasopharyngeal swab of the newly admitted patient in the room, illustrating the potential that these aerosols may serve as a source of transmission of the virus. Estimates of viable viral concentrations ranged from 6 to 74 TCID50 units/L of air. This presentation will also discuss the deployment of VIVAS in other public venues and rooms of self-isolation individuals to assess the potential of aerosol transmission thereof. The presentation will then discuss the needs for future enhancement for environmental surveillance to better protect the public health against airborne respiratory viruses.
Bio
Professor Chang-Yu Wu received his BS from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Taiwan University and PhD from the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. His teaching and research interests range from air pollution control, aerosol science, environmental nanotechnology, dust control to engineering education. He has published more than 160 refereed journal articles with 8200+ citations, given 310+ conference presentations, and 80+ invited lectures. His research has resulted in 9 US patents and 3 pending applications. As an active member of Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) and American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR), he has received several awards recognizing his accomplishments in education, research, and service.
Zoom link for remote participants (must be logged into Zoom): https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84251226341?pwd=cDBwdktpU1Y1RGZMRW53ZEE0WGpTZz09
Comentários