LOS AEROSOLES HUMANOS: principal mecanismo de transmisión del nuevo SARS-CoV-2

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spread rapidly around the world Its main transmission mechanisms are through saliva droplets or bronchial secretions, and by contact with surfaces contaminated with the virus The formation of aerosols when speaking, coughing and sneezing are the main airborne transmission mechanism;performing in-hospital diagnostic and therapeutic procedures represent the greatest risk of contagion The arrival of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus and the consequent declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization --with a very rapid and silent spread among the world population-- has caused great interest in knowing its form of transmission to be able to contain it, combat it and, thus, protect the population Being a new and unknown virus, many aspects were ignored and, at the beginning of the pandemic, its behavior was compared with that of other closer and similar coronaviruses (such as SARS-CoV-1), for which the same prevention measures It has long been known that humans continually produce natural aerosols through normal breathing, increasing with deep breathing and by talking, coughing, sneezing or singing A fraction of the aerosols generated naturally can be inhaled by one or more people, thus becoming one of the main transmission mechanisms of respiratory diseases (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] La pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 se ha diseminado rapidamente en el mundo Sus principales mecanismos de transmision son mediante gotitas de saliva o secreciones bronquiales, y por contacto con superficies contaminadas con el virus La formacion de aerosoles al hablar, toser y estornudar son el principal mecanismo de transmision aerea;la realizacion de procedimientos diagnosticos y terapeuticos intrahospitalarios representan el mayor riesgo de contagio La llegada del nuevo virus SARS-CoV-2 y la consecuente declaracion de pandemia por parte de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud --con una diseminacion muy rapida y silenciosa entre la poblacion mundial-- ha provocado un gran interes por conocer su forma de transmision para poder contenerlo, combatirlo y, asi, proteger a la poblacion Al tratarse de un virus nuevo y desconocido, se ignoraban muchos aspectos y, al inicio de la pandemia, su comportamiento fue comparado con el de otros coronavirus mas cercanos y parecidos (como el SARSCoV-1), por lo cual se recomendaron las mismas medidas de prevencion Desde hace mucho tiempo se sabe que los humanos producen continuamente aerosoles naturales a traves de la respiracion normal, que aumentan con una respiracion profunda y al hablar, toser, estornudar o cantar Una fraccion de los aerosoles generados de manera natural pueden ser inhalados por una o varias personas, convirtiendose asi en uno de los principales mecanismos de transmision de las enfermedades respiratorias (Spanish) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Revista de Enfermedades Infecciosas en Pediatria is the property of Ediciones Franco S A de C V and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )