BACKGROUND: Exposure to pathogens in public transport systems is a common means of spreading infection, mainly by inhaling aerosol or droplets from infected individuals. Such particles also contaminate surfaces, creating a potential surface-transmission pathway. METHODS: A fast acoustic biosensor with an antifouling nano-coating was introduced to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on exposed surfaces in the Prague Public Transport System. Samples were measured directly without pre-treatment. Results with the sensor gave excellent agreement with parallel quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) measurements on 482 surface samples taken from actively used trams, buses, metro trains and platforms between 7 and 9 April 2021, in the middle of the lineage Alpha SARS-CoV-2 epidemic wave when 1 in 240 people were COVID-19 positive in Prague. RESULTS: Only ten of the 482 surface swabs produced positive results and none of them contained virus particles capable of replication, indicating that positive samples contained inactive virus particles and/or fragments. Measurements of the rate of decay of SARS-CoV-2 on frequently touched surface materials showed that the virus did not remain viable longer than 1-4 h. The rate of inactivation was the fastest on rubber handrails in metro escalators and the slowest on hard-plastic seats, window glasses and stainless-steel grab rails. As a result of this study, Prague Public Transport Systems revised their cleaning protocols and the lengths of parking times during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that surface transmission played no or negligible role in spreading SARS-CoV-2 in Prague. The results also demonstrate the potential of the new biosensor to serve as a complementary screening tool in epidemic monitoring and prognosis.

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Uppsala University Box 596 751 24 Uppsala Sweden

Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine Veterinary Research Institute Hudcova 70 621 00 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branišovská 1645 31a 370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Genomics Research Center Academia Sinica 128 Academia Rd Sec 2 Nankang Dist Taipei 115 Taiwan

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Branišovská 31 370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Na Slovance 2 182 00 Prague Czech Republic

The European Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC Za Radnici 835 25241 Dolní Břežany Czech Republic

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