Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2019034118
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe
Author Damialis, A.; Gilles, S.; Sofiev, M.; Sofieva, V.; Kolek, F.; Bayr, D.; Plaza, M.P.; Leier-Wirtz, V.; Kaschuba, S.; Ziska, L.H.; Bielory, L.; Makra, L.; Trigo, M.d.M.; Gilles, O.; Nhân, P.-T.; Traidl-Hoffmann, C.; Dunker, S.; Hornick, T.; Nestor, G.R., et al.
Source Titel Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year 2021
Department iDiv; PHYDIV
Volume 118
Issue 12
Page From e2019034118
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/6f8y8d9cgw.1
Supplements https://www.pnas.org/highwire/filestream/977225/field_highwire_adjunct_files/0/pnas.2019034118.sapp.pdf
Keywords COVID-19; pollen; viral infection; aerobiology
Abstract 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.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=24485
Damialis, A., Gilles, S., Sofiev, M., Sofieva, V., Kolek, F., Bayr, D., Plaza, M.P., Leier-Wirtz, V., Kaschuba, S., Ziska, L.H., Bielory, L., Makra, L., Trigo, M.d.M., Gilles, O., Nhân, P.-T., Traidl-Hoffmann, C., Dunker, S., Hornick, T., Nestor, G.R., et al. (2021):
Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 118 (12), e2019034118 10.1073/pnas.2019034118