Journal Article

Association between viral seasonality and meteorological factors

Price, Rory Henry Macgregor, Ramalingam, Sandeep, Graham, Catriona

2019

Overview

Numerous viruses can cause upper respiratory tract infections. They often precede serious lower respiratory tract infections. Each virus has a seasonal pattern, with peaks in activity in different seasons. We examined the effects of daily local meteorological data (temperature, relative humidity, “humidity-range” and dew point) from Edinburgh, Scotland on the seasonal variations in viral transmission. We identified the seasonality of rhinovirus, adenovirus, influenza A and B viruses, human parainfluenza viruses 1–3 (HPIV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) from the 52060 respiratory samples tested between 2009 and 2015 and then confirmed the same by a generalised linear model. We also investigated the relationship between meteorological factors and viral seasonality. Non-enveloped viruses were present throughout the year. Following logistic regression adenovirus, influenza viruses A, B, RSV and HMPV preferred low temperatures; RSV and influenza A virus preferred a narrow “humidity-range” and HPIV type 3 preferred the season with lower humidity. A change (i.e. increase or decrease) in specific meteorological factors is associated with an increase in activity of specific viruses at certain times of the year.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 631/326/596/1278 / 631/326/596/1578 / 631/326/596/2563 / Adenoviruses / Dew point / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humidity / Influenza / Influenza A / Low temperature / multidisciplinary / Parainfluenza / Relative humidity / Respiratory diseases / Respiratory syncytial virus / Respiratory tract / Respiratory tract diseases / Rhinovirus / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Seasonal variations / Viral infections / Viruses