Pollen , the notorious mollycoddler of summer evening , has the potential to play like an airborne raft that facilitate virus like SARS - CoV-2 disseminate between people , according to a new study .
As reported in the journalPhysics of Fluids , a duo of fluid dynamics expert from the University of Nicosia in Cyprus have used computational mould to understand how tree diagram pollen might work the paste of an RNA virus , such as SARS - CoV-2 , the computer virus that causes COVID-19 .
" To our knowledge , this is the first time we show through modeling and simulation how airborne pollen micrograins are channel in a short breeze , contributing to airborne virus transmission in crowds outdoors , " Professor Dimitris Drikakis , study author from the University of Nicosia , tell in astatement .
Airborne pollen could help facilitate the spread of viral infections by act as a floating mint that hold hundreds of computer virus molecule at a time . Since the pollen is specially adapted to drift distances with the malarkey , it ’s possible that the virus particles hitching a ride can make relatively retentive journeys and make their way into the respiratory systems of human beings .
To savvy into this idea , the scientists model a issue of outside gatherings of roughly 10 or 100 people , a modest number of whom were infected and spill SARS - CoV-2 particle , about 20 meters ( 65 ft ) from amature willowtree . On a heavy solar day , such trees can pump out some 1,500 grains of pollen per cubic meter into the palisade air , so their models also saw the intromission of some 10,000 pollen grain .
They modeled condition standardised to those seen on an ordinary leaping day in the US and found the pollen had drifted through the crowd in less than one minute , picking up computer virus particles as it floats by . While it ’s not possible to on the dot gauge how gamey the risk is(this calculate on an regalia of factors , such as the individual ’s immune system)the researchers take this could significantly affect the computer virus load carried along by the picnic and likely increase the jeopardy of infection . So much so , a day of grueling pollen might be enough to undermine the “ 2 meter ( ~6 foot ) rule ” used for societal distancing in public , they argue .
This research is not the first to raise this fear . In March 2021 , scientists at theTechnical University of Munich in Germanyfound thatincreased SARS - CoV-2 infection rates occur at fourth dimension when airborne pollen level are higher . In this piece of inquiry , the study source hypothesized this liaison could be explained by eminent pollen counts result in a feeble immune reception in the airline .
While a dampened resistant reply is still likely to fiddle a theatrical role in this link , the new study play up another possible direction in which pollen counts might touch on viral infection rates .
" When studying the banquet of SARS - CoV-2 , environmental gene such as pollen must be assume into news report . Increased sentience of these force are an important step in forbid and mitigating the impingement of Covid-19 , " Athanasios Damialis , contribute author of this 2d study and Chair of Environmental Medicine , Technical University of Munich , say inMarch 2021 .
