Phi6 virus transmission in Arctic outdoor air and the effects of solar UV radiation on virus and host viability

Abstract

Virus seasonality is affected by many environmental factors. UV radiation is a less studied but potentially important factor in virus outdoor aerosol transmission. Virus aerosol transmission in an Arctic environment was simulated by nebulizing Phi6 outdoors to study longer range (0-75 m) transmission. Aerosolized viruses were collected using host-containing agar plates, Biosamplers and filter collectors. Additionally, the effects of long-term exposure to solar UV radiation were studied on Phi6 and its host bacteria Pseudomonas phaseolicola. Phi6 remained infectious in aerosols for at least 50 m outdoors, however, potential for longer transmission distance still exists. Exposure to solar UV radiation did not significantly affect Phi6 viability, however, a decreasing trend was seen over an 8 h exposure time. Potential UV radiation related damages were found in the host bacteria's genome, but not in Phi6. This study shows that some viruses can remain infectious and travel for relatively long distances outdoors. Solar UV radiation was found to have minimal or no effect on Phi6 aerosol transmission at these distances, however, Phi6 is known to be resilient against UV radiation. Further studies are required with longer distance collection to understand the full potential of virus aerosol transmission outdoors. Additionally, other model viruses should be experimented with to understand how different viruses remain infectious in aerosols.