Towards the isolation of respiratory syncytial virus from the environment

SUMMARY Respiratory syncytial virus in 1 μl drops of tissue culture homogenate on polythene gave c. 10% survival on drying and c. 1% survival over 24 h, depending on the vehicle and humidity, but showed no significant loss in liquid suspension over 3 h, or if 100 ft3 of air were blown through the suspension. When drops were deposited on nutrient agar plates there was no significant loss over a period of 3 h, even if 10 ft3 of air were passed over the surface. However, only c. 10% of the virus deposited in this way could be recovered, though 90% of bacteria could be recovered by wiping the agar firmly in the presence of liquid. Air and surface samples were taken in 13 isolation cubicles in which there was an infant suffering from acute bronchiolitis without recovery of the virus, though virus had been isolated from the throats of 8 of the infants, 5 at the time of sampling. The total volume of air sampled was 226 ft3 with liquid impingers and 1146 ft3 on agar. Hartmannellid amoebae were isolated on 2 occasions, one from the air samples and one from surface samples, and an adenovirus type 10 was isolated from the swab of a chair.