Fig. 6: Fomite and airborne transmission in the Syrian hamster.

a Experimental layout for fomite and b airborne exposure experiments in hamsters. I.N. = intranasal. c Pictures of smoke test to demonstrate unidirectional airflow in the transmission cage. d Aerodynamic particle size distribution on either side of the transmission cage. e Reduction of particles by the divider. f, g Relative weight loss in hamsters after SARS-CoV-2 transmission via fomite and airborne routes. DPE = days post exposure. Lines represent mean ± SEM. h Violin plot with individuals and median of endpoint IgG antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 spike ectodomain by ELISA in serum of hamsters infected through airborne and fomite transmission route. ELISAs were done once. i Respiratory shedding profile of hamsters exposed through fomite and airborne transmission routes, individuals, median and 95% CI are shown. j Cumulative (area under the curve (AUC) analysis) of respiratory shedding from animals which seroconverted after airborne and fomite transmission. Violin plots with individuals and median are depicted. Statistical significance was measured by Kruskal–Wallis test, N = 8 per group. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.001, ***P < 0.0001, ****P < 0.0001. NS, not significant. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.