A new method for sampling and detection of exhaled respiratory virus aerosols

Abstract

We have developed a mask sampler for exhaled respiratory viruses. Among a group of 9 patients with cold symptoms who had virus-positive nasal mucus specimens, as analyzed by multiplexed polymerase chain reaction, virus-positive mask samples were obtained after coughing (20 times), talking (20 min), or breathing (20 min) from 6, 5, and 3 patients, respectively. © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.