Affiliation:
1. Emergency Department, British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust , Plymouth , United Kingdom
2. Clinical Microbiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust , Leicester , United Kingdom
3. Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester , Leicester , United Kingdom
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The British Antarctic bases offer a semiclosed environment for assessing the transmission and persistence of seasonal respiratory viruses.
Methods
Weekly swabbing was performed for respiratory pathogen surveillance (including SARS-CoV-2), at 2 British Antarctic Survey bases, during 2020: King Edward Point (KEP, 30 June to 29 September, 9 participants, 124 swabs) and Rothera (9 May to 6 June, 27 participants, 127 swabs). Symptom questionnaires were collected for any newly symptomatic cases that presented during this weekly swabbing period.
Results
At KEP, swabs tested positive for non–SARS-CoV-2 seasonal coronavirus (2), adenovirus (1), parainfluenza 3 (1), and respiratory syncytial virus B (1). At Rothera, swabs tested positive for non–SARS-CoV-2 seasonal coronavirus (3), adenovirus (2), parainfluenza 4 (1), and human metapneumovirus (1). All bacterial agents identified were considered to be colonizers and not pathogenic.
Conclusions
At KEP, the timeline indicated that the parainfluenza 3 and adenovirus infections could have been linked to some of the symptomatic cases that presented. For the other viruses, the only other possible sources were the visiting ship crew members. At Rothera, the single symptomatic case presented too early for this to be linked to the subsequent viral detections, and the only other possible source could have been a single nonparticipating staff member.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Immunology and Allergy
Cited by
1 articles.
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