TY - JOUR
T1 - Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe
AU - COVID-19/POLLEN study group
AU - Damialis, Athanasios
AU - Gilles, Stefanie
AU - Sofiev, Mikhail
AU - Sofieva, Viktoria
AU - Kolek, Franziska
AU - Bayr, Daniela
AU - Plaza, Maria P.
AU - Leier-Wirtz, Vivien
AU - Kaschuba, Sigrid
AU - Ziska, Lewis H.
AU - Bielory, Leonard
AU - Makra, László
AU - del Mar Trigo, Maria
AU - Traidl-Hoffmann, Claudia
AU - Oliver, Gilles
AU - Pham-Thi, Nhân
AU - Thibaudon, Michel
AU - Arino, Arturo H.
AU - Belmonte, Jordina
AU - Cervigon Morales, Patricia
AU - De Linares, Concepción
AU - Fernández, Delia
AU - Fernández-Rodriguez, Santiago
AU - Gabaldón Arguisuelas, Antonia
AU - Galán, Carmen
AU - González-Alonso, Mónica
AU - Lara, Beatriz
AU - Moreno Grau, José María
AU - Oteros, José
AU - Pérez-Badia, Rosa
AU - Pérez-De-Zabalza, Anabel
AU - Picornell, Antonio
AU - Recio, Marta
AU - Robles, Estrella
AU - Rodríguez-Fernández, Alberto
AU - Rodríguez-Rajo, F. Javier
AU - Rojo, Jesús
AU - Ruiz Valenzuela, Luis
AU - Bergmann, Karl Christian
AU - Werchan, Barbora
AU - Werchan, Matthias
AU - Buters, Jeroen T.M.
AU - Bastl, Maximilian
AU - Dunker, Susanne
AU - Hornick, Thomas
AU - González Roldán, Nestor
AU - Gilge, Stefan
AU - Clot, Bernard
AU - Finemann, Stanley
AU - Ford, Linda
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/3/23
Y1 - 2021/3/23
N2 - Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, we additionally considered population density of each study area, as well as lockdown effects, in all possible combinations: without any lockdown, with mixed lockdown−no lockdown regime, and under complete lockdown. We found that airborne pollen, sometimes in synergy with humidity and temperature, explained, on average, 44% of the infection rate variability. Infection rates increased after higher pollen concentrations most frequently during the four previous days. Without lockdown, an increase of pollen abundance by 100 pollen/m3 resulted in a 4% average increase of infection rates. Lockdown halved infection rates under similar pollen concentrations. As there can be no preventive measures against airborne pollen exposure, we suggest wide dissemination of pollen−virus coexposure dire effect information to encourage high-risk individuals to wear particle filter masks during high springtime pollen concentrations.
AB - Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, we additionally considered population density of each study area, as well as lockdown effects, in all possible combinations: without any lockdown, with mixed lockdown−no lockdown regime, and under complete lockdown. We found that airborne pollen, sometimes in synergy with humidity and temperature, explained, on average, 44% of the infection rate variability. Infection rates increased after higher pollen concentrations most frequently during the four previous days. Without lockdown, an increase of pollen abundance by 100 pollen/m3 resulted in a 4% average increase of infection rates. Lockdown halved infection rates under similar pollen concentrations. As there can be no preventive measures against airborne pollen exposure, we suggest wide dissemination of pollen−virus coexposure dire effect information to encourage high-risk individuals to wear particle filter masks during high springtime pollen concentrations.
KW - COVID-19 | pollen | viral infection | aerobiology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102709458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2019034118
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2019034118
M3 - Article
C2 - 33798095
AN - SCOPUS:85102709458
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 118
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 12
M1 - e2019034118
ER -