Association between viral seasonality and meteorological factors

• Published in: Scientific reports 2019-01, Vol.9 (1), p.929-929, Article 929
• Main Authors: Price, Rory Henry Macgregor, Graham, Catriona, Ramalingam, Sandeep
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 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 syncytial virus; Respiratory tract; Respiratory tract diseases; Rhinovirus; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seasonal variations; Viruses
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37481-y

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.