Airborne Pollen hypothesized as ideal COVID-19 carrier

Shayan Ahmed, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

The concept of viral infection focuses on the transmission of viral particles from one individual and infecting someone close in contact. Researchers across the globe have created theories to explain the high prevalence of COVID-19 infection from the beginning of the crisis. They discovered that viral particles may survive on surfaces for long periods of time, making virus transmission easier. According to a recent study, there seems to be a link between high levels of pollen in the air and high rates of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers investigated how airborne pollen and COVID-19 are co-related. They hypothesised that airborne pollen aids in the spread of an RNA virus such as the COVID-19 virus and laid a special emphasis on their findings to be communicated without any misunderstanding or confusion.

Regardless of allergy status, co-exposure to airborne pollen increases susceptibility to respiratory virus infections. Pollen exposure reduces susceptibility to some seasonal infections of respiratory viruses by decreasing the antiviral interferon response. According to the researchers, pollen grains contain less water, are light-weight, and may travel tens of kilometres as compared to saliva droplets. Therefore, pollen could be an ideal way of transmission of viral particles in the environment. In the long run, variables like air temperature are expected to serve as potential confounders for pollen’s short-term influence on infection rates. The researchers examined the function of pollen in viral transmission using computer model simulations. The model assumes that the virus can travel on pollen grains, despite the fact that there is no direct evidence that this is possible. Another link between pollen levels and COVID-19 is that immunological responses to pollen might make people more vulnerable to infection. Pollen grains suppress antiviral-interferon responses at the point of virus entrance, the nasal epithelium; thus, contributing to immunosuppression.

Pollen has been demonstrated to have a less noticeable influence on reported infection rates under lockdown regimes. It’s also conceivable that high summer temperatures will help to keep infections at bay, but maintaining social distance is still recommended. However, pollen’s infection-promoting impact may be visible only in the spring. This is because air temperatures are still too low to prevent viral transmission but tree pollen concentrations are high. Avoiding complete exposure to airborne pollen is impossible; therefore, it is advisable for individuals at high risk to wear particle filter masks during springtime.

Disclaimer: This study conducted by Damialis et al., 2021, is basically a proposed concept of COVID-19 transmission. There’s no complete evidence that states that airborne pollen grains aid in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The findings should therefore be communicated without any misunderstanding and confusion that might create unnecessary panic situations.

Also read: Anaerobic gut fungi make way for novel antibiotic production

Source:

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., Del Mar Trigo, M., COVID-19/POLLEN study group, & Traidl-Hoffmann, C. (2021). Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(12), e2019034118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2019034118

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About Author:

Shayan Ahmed is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Microbiology from the Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His area of research interest lies in antibiotic resistance and associated molecular mechanisms. His recent work was focused on understanding colistin resistance patterns in the environment, particularly in water bodies.