How Long Does A Virus Live On A Surface

How long does a virus live on surfaces?

How long does a virus live on surfaces?A virus outside a cell, is not exactly alive. It is a static, rather long molecule.Next it depends on the surface. If it is in sunlight or exposed to UV? it could last for days. Soft surfaces not so long… It also depends on the surface not having active chemical reactions (glass for instance tends not to react, but adding water and other dust? the water reacts). Soft materials tend to be reactive (even if weakly). Wood is reactive (as is wax/polishes for that matter). Most viruses would only last from a day to a couple of days (depending on the virus).If it is in the dark, shielded from oxygen… many years. It is one of the reasons research into cemeteries is done carefully. Viruses and some bacteria can survive for a LONG time in such conditions. Bacteria survive by encapsulating themselves going dormant until they are in a suitable environment. Viruses being static just wait until they are taken into a cell - where the DNA/RNA of the virus get incorporated into the activities of the cell, and are then reproduced by the cells metabolism.ScienceDirectSite Health and Safety

How long can any virus/bacteria live on surface?

There are tons of variables at play here that make this question hard to answer as is. Different types of bacteria/virus inherently survive better or worse. Other factors include the type of surface, temperature, humidity, etc. Some bacteria can form spores which can survive ridiculously harsh conditions and survive for a long time (forever for all intents and purposes) before “sprouting” again. Bacteria typically survive longer than viruses on hard surfaces.A lot of bugs causing hospital acquired infections can persist on dry surfaces for up to months (see the paper at the bottom for a table with estimates. Unfortunately, the table is too big for me to post on this answer but it should be open access.). I should also mention that these kinds of survival estimates seem to vary a lot.Reference:How long do nosocomial pathogens persist on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review

How long (in hours) does the rabies virus live on a dry surface or a surface exposed to the sun?

Rabies is an enveloped virus. Enveloped viruses have a coating that is susceptible to damage from environmental effects, disinfectants and other challenges. Damaging this coating kills the virus. But it is not certain how long this takes.There was a study done in 1987 (Matouch et al, Vet Med (Praha) 1987) which involved testing of rabies virus from the salivary gland of a naturally infected fox. They exposed the virus to different conditions and used two methods to look at the infectivity of the virus.When the virus was spread in a thin layer onto surfaces like glass, metal or leaves, the longest survival was 144 hours at 5 degrees C (that’s ~ 41F).At 20C (68F), the virus was infective for 24h on glass and leaves and 48h on metal.At 30C (86F), the virus didn’t last long, being inactivated within 1.5h with exposure to sunlight and 20h without sunlight.So, rabies virus can survive for a while outside the body. Temperature, humidity, sunlight exposure and surface type all probably play important roles, but in any particular situation you can never make a very accurate prediction of the virus’s survival beyond "it will survive for a while, but not very long."

How long do stomach virus germs live on surfaces? How do you get rid of them?

The stomach flu viruses can live on surfaces for about 2 weeks. Once everyone in the house is done being sick, it is reasonable to assume that you will have stray viruses lingering on household surfaces for another 2 weeks.Norovirus has been shown to live on kitchen counter tops for at least 7 days and can remain in refrigerated food for weeks, freezing is a great way to keep norovirus forever.Rotavirus has been shown to live at least 10 days on a variety of surfaces.Adenoviridae 40 was less stable and only remained for about 3 days.A good way to get rid of them is by cleaning the household with:Clorox® Hydrogen Peroxide SprayClorox Hydrogen Peroxide Wipesor chlorine bleach.Just also make sure the area you are cleaning is well ventilated, and wear protection mask and gloves.

How long does a rabies virus live in the air?

The rabies virus resides in the saliva of its host as well as brain and central nervous tissue. Bites are the most common form of transmission. However, it is important to realize that the virus can continue to thrive as long as it remains in the saliva and tissue and is not dried out. Some cases have documented rabies inside an animal that had been dead for longer than 24 hours.Temperature and conditions may play a small part in varying the time frame, but the rabies virus cannot survive outside of a host body. Typically speaking, the rabies virus will be rendered inactive once outside of the host body (and host body material such as saliva) for a matter of seconds. It is still best to exercise caution, even if the threat of rabies is not a high one.