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Appl Environ Microbiol
. 2024 Jan 9:e0201023.
doi: 10.1128/aem.02010-23. Online ahead of print. Seasonal influenza viruses decay more rapidly at intermediate humidity in droplets containing saliva compared to respiratory mucus
Nicole C Rockey 1 2 , Valerie Le Sage 1 , Linsey C Marr 3 , Seema S Lakdawala 1 4
Affiliations
Determining how long viruses persist in the environment is important for mitigating transmission risk. Expelled infectious droplets and aerosols are composed of respiratory fluids, including saliva and complex mucus mixtures, but how well influenza viruses survive in such fluids is largely unknown. Here, we find that infectious influenza virus is present in the oral cavity of infected ferrets, suggesting that saliva-containing expulsions can play a role in onward transmission. Additionally, influenza virus in droplets composed of saliva degrades more rapidly than virus within respiratory mucus. Droplet composition impacts the crystalline structure and virus localization in dried droplets. These results suggest that viruses from distinct sites in the respiratory tract could have variable persistence in the environment, which will impact viral transmission fitness.
Keywords: environmental persistence; influenza virus; respiratory droplets; respiratory mucus; saliva; virus inactivation.
. 2024 Jan 9:e0201023.
doi: 10.1128/aem.02010-23. Online ahead of print. Seasonal influenza viruses decay more rapidly at intermediate humidity in droplets containing saliva compared to respiratory mucus
Nicole C Rockey 1 2 , Valerie Le Sage 1 , Linsey C Marr 3 , Seema S Lakdawala 1 4
Affiliations
- PMID: 38193683
- DOI: 10.1128/aem.02010-23
Determining how long viruses persist in the environment is important for mitigating transmission risk. Expelled infectious droplets and aerosols are composed of respiratory fluids, including saliva and complex mucus mixtures, but how well influenza viruses survive in such fluids is largely unknown. Here, we find that infectious influenza virus is present in the oral cavity of infected ferrets, suggesting that saliva-containing expulsions can play a role in onward transmission. Additionally, influenza virus in droplets composed of saliva degrades more rapidly than virus within respiratory mucus. Droplet composition impacts the crystalline structure and virus localization in dried droplets. These results suggest that viruses from distinct sites in the respiratory tract could have variable persistence in the environment, which will impact viral transmission fitness.
Keywords: environmental persistence; influenza virus; respiratory droplets; respiratory mucus; saliva; virus inactivation.