BACKGROUND:
The spread of influenza and highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) presents a significant threat to human health. Avian influenza outbreaks indownwind areas of Asian dust storms (ADS) suggest that viruses might be transported by dust storms.
OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of our study is to develop a technique to measure ambientinfluenza and avian influenza virus, and then use this technique to measure concentrations of ambient influenza and avian influenza virus on ADS days and background days. The relationships between ambient influenza and avian influenza virus and air pollutants were also assessed.
METHODS:
A high-volume air sampler was used in parallel with a filter cassette toevaluate spiked samples and unspiked samples. Then, air samples were monitored during ADS season using filter cassette coupled with a real-time qPCR assay.
RESULTS:
Ambient influenza virus was successfully quantified using thefiltration/real-time qPCR method during ADS days and background days. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the concentration of influenza virus in ambient air. In both the spiked samples and unspiked samples, the concentration of influenza virus sampled using the filter cassette was higher than that using the high-volume sampler. The concentration of ambient influenza A virus was significantly higher during the ADS days than during the background days.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our data implied the possibility of long-range transport of influenza virus.
The concentration of ambient influenza A virus was significantly higher during ADS days than during background days. In addition, A/H5 was detected only during ADS days.
http://ehsehplp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=2537FCC0DBF13151FAC30426FF53A1BA?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901782&representation=PDF
Other points of interest:
Their (Kilpatrick 2006) results demonstrated that 9 of 21 H5N1 inductionsinto countries in Asia were most likely through poultry, and 3 of 21 were through migrating birds. However, H5N1 outbreaks in South Korea and Japan were not consistent with either reported poultry trade or the timing and direction of migratory bird travel during the month of outbreak, suggesting that other factors led to these introduction events.
Avian influenza outbreaks in Japan and South Korea, which, like Taiwan,include areas that are downwind of Asian dust storms (ADS), occurred during the ADS season...
In a previous study, we successfully quantified airborne influenza/avianinfluenza virus levels in a wet poultry market using a filtration/real-time qPCR method (Chen et al. 2009)
The culturable bacteria and fungi from air samples was 1 to more than 1500 times and 2.1 to 3 times higher, respectively, when African dust was impacting the region compared to when it was not.
For human influenza virus, Hammond et al. hypothesized that long-rangetransport of human influenza virus from Asia to the Americas could occur in the winter months due to the low dose of virus required for infection and the prevailing wind patterns over the Pacific (Hammond et al. 1989).
Previous virus survival studies report a relationship between particle association/attachment and enhanced survival, thus suggesting that the attachment of infectious viruses to dust particles moving across the ocean might enhance long-range host-to-host transport.
Previous studies have reported that many compounds in environmental medium such as soil and water can inhibit PCR but we are not aware of any study that has specifically examined effects of PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 on viruses.
...ambient influenza concentration was significantly negatively correlated with PM10 and PM2.5 on background days. Although previous studies have noted a relationship between particle concentrations and enhanced viral survival, we found negative correlations between ambient influenza viruse concentrations and PM10, SO2, and PM2.5. One possible explanation is that PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 may inhibit the PCR reaction. A second is that PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 might injure airborne virus in ambient air.
Previous studies have reported that many compounds in environmental medium such as soil and water can inhibit PCR but we are not aware of any study that has specifically examined effects of PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 on viruses.
Pei-Shih Chen1*, Feng Ta Tsai1, Chien Kun Lin1, Chun-Yuh Yang1, Chang-Chuan Chan2, Chea-Yuan Young3, Chien-Hung Lee1
The spread of influenza and highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) presents a significant threat to human health. Avian influenza outbreaks indownwind areas of Asian dust storms (ADS) suggest that viruses might be transported by dust storms.
OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of our study is to develop a technique to measure ambientinfluenza and avian influenza virus, and then use this technique to measure concentrations of ambient influenza and avian influenza virus on ADS days and background days. The relationships between ambient influenza and avian influenza virus and air pollutants were also assessed.
METHODS:
A high-volume air sampler was used in parallel with a filter cassette toevaluate spiked samples and unspiked samples. Then, air samples were monitored during ADS season using filter cassette coupled with a real-time qPCR assay.
RESULTS:
Ambient influenza virus was successfully quantified using thefiltration/real-time qPCR method during ADS days and background days. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the concentration of influenza virus in ambient air. In both the spiked samples and unspiked samples, the concentration of influenza virus sampled using the filter cassette was higher than that using the high-volume sampler. The concentration of ambient influenza A virus was significantly higher during the ADS days than during the background days.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our data implied the possibility of long-range transport of influenza virus.
The concentration of ambient influenza A virus was significantly higher during ADS days than during background days. In addition, A/H5 was detected only during ADS days.
http://ehsehplp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=2537FCC0DBF13151FAC30426FF53A1BA?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901782&representation=PDF
Other points of interest:
Their (Kilpatrick 2006) results demonstrated that 9 of 21 H5N1 inductionsinto countries in Asia were most likely through poultry, and 3 of 21 were through migrating birds. However, H5N1 outbreaks in South Korea and Japan were not consistent with either reported poultry trade or the timing and direction of migratory bird travel during the month of outbreak, suggesting that other factors led to these introduction events.
Avian influenza outbreaks in Japan and South Korea, which, like Taiwan,include areas that are downwind of Asian dust storms (ADS), occurred during the ADS season...
In a previous study, we successfully quantified airborne influenza/avianinfluenza virus levels in a wet poultry market using a filtration/real-time qPCR method (Chen et al. 2009)
The culturable bacteria and fungi from air samples was 1 to more than 1500 times and 2.1 to 3 times higher, respectively, when African dust was impacting the region compared to when it was not.
For human influenza virus, Hammond et al. hypothesized that long-rangetransport of human influenza virus from Asia to the Americas could occur in the winter months due to the low dose of virus required for infection and the prevailing wind patterns over the Pacific (Hammond et al. 1989).
Previous virus survival studies report a relationship between particle association/attachment and enhanced survival, thus suggesting that the attachment of infectious viruses to dust particles moving across the ocean might enhance long-range host-to-host transport.
Previous studies have reported that many compounds in environmental medium such as soil and water can inhibit PCR but we are not aware of any study that has specifically examined effects of PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 on viruses.
...ambient influenza concentration was significantly negatively correlated with PM10 and PM2.5 on background days. Although previous studies have noted a relationship between particle concentrations and enhanced viral survival, we found negative correlations between ambient influenza viruse concentrations and PM10, SO2, and PM2.5. One possible explanation is that PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 may inhibit the PCR reaction. A second is that PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 might injure airborne virus in ambient air.
Previous studies have reported that many compounds in environmental medium such as soil and water can inhibit PCR but we are not aware of any study that has specifically examined effects of PM10, SO2, or PM2.5 on viruses.
Pei-Shih Chen1*, Feng Ta Tsai1, Chien Kun Lin1, Chun-Yuh Yang1, Chang-Chuan Chan2, Chea-Yuan Young3, Chien-Hung Lee1