Drivers of airborne human-to-human pathogen transmission

Herfst, Sander; Böhringer, Michael; Karo, Basel; Lawrence, Philip; Lewis, Nicola S.; Mina, Michael J.; Russell, Charles J.; Steel, John; Swart, Rik L. de; Menge, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.coviro.2016.11.006

Cited by 100 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…humidity and temperature), crowding of people, but also on host factors such as receptor distribution throughout the respiratory tract. The fact that all these variables affect the different transmission routes of the different respiratory viruses in a dissimilar way, makes it very difficult to investigate them experimentally [9,11]. Here, we summarize the evidence from experimental and observational studies on inter-human transmission routes of important respiratory viruses (summarized in Table 2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission routes of respiratory viruses among humans

Kutter

Spronken

Fraaij

et al. 2018

Current Opinion in Virology

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Respiratory tract infections can be caused by a wide variety of viruses. Airborne transmission via droplets and aerosols enables some of these viruses to spread efficiently among humans, causing outbreaks that are difficult to control. Many outbreaks have been investigated retrospectively to study the possible routes of inter-human virus transmission. The results of these studies are often inconclusive and at the same time data from controlled experiments is sparse. Therefore, fundamental knowledge on transmission routes that could be used to improve intervention strategies is still missing. We here present an overview of the available data from experimental and observational studies on the transmission routes of respiratory viruses between humans, identify knowledge gaps, and discuss how the available knowledge is currently implemented in isolation guidelines in health care settings.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission routes of respiratory viruses among humans

Kutter

Spronken

Fraaij

et al. 2018

Current Opinion in Virology

Self Cite

538

509

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Bioaerosols can also settle after a prolonged time period, leading to fomite contamination [22]. A second aerosolization from these contaminated fomites is also possible and may cause further propagation of pathogens [3,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ozone efficacy for the control of airborne viruses: Bacteriophage and norovirus models

et al. 2020

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This study was designed to test the efficacy of an air treatment using ozone and relative humidity (RH) for the inactivation of airborne viruses. Four phages (φX174, PR772, MS2 and φ6) and one eukaryotic virus (murine norovirus MNV-1) were exposed to low ozone concentrations (1.23 ppm for phages and 0.23 ppm for MNV-1) and various levels of RH for 10 to 70 minutes. The inactivation of these viruses was then assessed to determine which of the tested conditions provided the greatest reduction in virus infectivity. An inactivation of at least two orders of magnitude for φX174, MS2 and MNV-1 was achieved with an ozone exposure of 40 minutes at 85% RH. For PR772 and φ6, exposure to the reference condition at 20% RH for 10 minutes yielded the same results. These findings suggest that ozone used at a low concentration is a powerful disinfectant for airborne viruses when combined with a high RH.Air treatment could therefore be implemented inside hospital rooms ventilated naturally.

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“…Although precise calculations are challenging because of methodology and inherent variability, the number of potentially infectious viruses we breathe every day can be in the range of many thousands. 1 Thus it is not surprising that viral respiratory tract infections (vRTI) are the most common human diseases, leading to enormous health and economic burden. 2 A wide variety of conditions fall within the spectrum of vRTIs.…”

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confidence: 99%

Promising approaches for the treatment and prevention of viral respiratory illnesses

Papadopoulos

Megremis

Kitsioulis

et al. 2017

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

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Viral respiratory tract infections are the most common human ailments, leading to enormous health and economic burden. Hundreds of viral species and subtypes have been associated with these conditions, with influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinoviruses being the most frequent and with the highest burden. When considering prevention or treatment of viral respiratory tract infections, potential targets include the causative pathogens themselves but also the immune response, disease transmission, or even just the symptoms. Strategies targeting all these aspects are developing concurrently, and several novel and promising approaches are emerging. In this perspective we overview the entire range of options and highlight some of the most promising approaches, including new antiviral agents, symptomatic or immunomodulatory drugs, the re-emergence of natural remedies, and vaccines and public health policies toward prevention. Wide-scale prevention through immunization appears to be within reach for respiratory syncytial virus and promising for influenza virus, whereas additional effort is needed in regard to rhinovirus, as well as other respiratory tract viruses.

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Drivers of airborne human-to-human pathogen transmission

Cited by 100 publications

References 53 publications

Transmission routes of respiratory viruses among humans

Transmission routes of respiratory viruses among humans

Ozone efficacy for the control of airborne viruses: Bacteriophage and norovirus models

Promising approaches for the treatment and prevention of viral respiratory illnesses

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