Chow VTK, Tay DJW, Chen MIC, Tang JW, Milton DK, T. Influenza A and B Viruses in Fine Aerosols of Exhaled Breath Samples from Patients in Tropical Singapore. Viruses. 2023 Sep 30;15(10):2033
Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory illness that commonly causes outbreaks among human communities. Details about the exact nature of the droplets produced by human respiratory activities such as breathing, and their potential to carry and transmit influenza A and B viruses is still not fully understood. The objective of our study was to characterize and quantify influenza viral shedding in exhaled aerosols from natural patient breath, and to determine their viral infectivity among participants in a university cohort in tropical Singapore. Using the Gesundheit-II exhaled breath sampling apparatus, samples of exhaled breath of two aerosol size fractions ("coarse" > 5 μm and "fine" ≤ 5 μm) were collected and analyzed from 31 study participants, i.e., 24 with influenza A (including H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes) and 7 with influenza B (including Victoria and Yamagata lineages). Influenza viral copy number was quantified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Infectivity of influenza virus in the fine particle fraction was determined by culturing in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. Exhaled influenza virus RNA generation rates ranged from 9 to 1.67 × 105 and 10 to 1.24 × 104 influenza virus RNA copies per minute for the fine and coarse aerosol fractions, respectively. Compared to the coarse aerosol fractions, influenza A and B viruses were detected more frequently in the fine aerosol fractions that harbored 12-fold higher viral loads. Culturable virus was recovered from the fine aerosol fractions from 9 of the 31 subjects (29%). These findings constitute additional evidence to reiterate the important role of fine aerosols in influenza transmission and provide a baseline range of influenza virus RNA generation rates.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- The evolution, complexity, and diversity of swine influenza viruses in China: A hidden public health threat 15 hours ago
- MHC class II proteins mediate sialic acid independent entry of human and avian H2N2 influenza A viruses 15 hours ago
- Histopathologic Features and Viral Antigen Distribution of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Clade 2.3.4.4b from the 2022–2023 Outbreak in Iowa Wild Birds 15 hours ago
- Detection and characterization of H5N1 HPAIV in environmental samples from a dairy farm 19 hours ago
- Genomic Characterization of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A H5N1 Virus Newly Emerged in Dairy Cattle 19 hours ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]