Covid-19: is the oral transmission route during shared meals and drinks credible?

authors

• Wendling Jean-Michel
• Saulnier Aure
• Sabatier Jean-Marc

keywords

• Covid-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• Contamination
• Digestive route
• Epidemiology
• Food
• Restaurants

document type

abstract

Epidemiological and observational studies converge to suspect today a risk of contracting Covid-19 around shared meals and drinks. Contamination of table objects (plates, cutlery, glasses) or food and beverages put in the mouth is possible through droplets projected during speech or through direct contacts by dirty hands. This contamination could involve employees in the food chain, restaurant or bar staff and diners among themselves. Biopersistence on hands and cold food supports the hypothesis of contamination by the food route. The oral-digestive route is also supported by the clinical presentation of the patients, the presence of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 receptors and the SARS-CoV-2 virus found in the entire digestive tract. In addition, the reproduction of the disease via the oral route in experimental animal models confirms this hypothesis. Prevention around the food chain and around the meal by strict hygiene measures, especially hand hygiene, is essential and may be extended to other fields of application of everyday life.

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