Analysis of the Impact of African Dust Storms on the Presence of Enteric Viruses in the Atmosphere in Tenerife, Spain

• Published in: Aerosol and Air Quality Research Vol. 18; no. 7; pp. 1863 - 1873
• Main Authors: Gonzalez-Martin, Cristina, Coronado-Alvarez, Nieves M., Teigell-Perez, Nuria, Diaz-Solano, Raquel, Exposito, Francisco J., Diaz, Juan P., Griffin, Dale W., Valladares, Basilio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 社團法人台灣氣膠研究學會 01.07.2018
• Subjects: Canary Islands; African dust storms; Particulate matter; Enteric viruses; Airborne dispersion
• ISSN: 1680-8584; 2071-1409
• DOI: 10.4209/aaqr.2017.11.0463

Airborne viruses and their relation to dust storms, as a possible route for dispersion, have not been widely investigated. There are, however, studies that have described the airborne dispersal of pathogenic viruses and their potential impact on public and agronomical health. Atmospheric samples were collected in an urban area of Tenerife during 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013 and screened for the presence of enteric viruses using PCR and sequencing. The potential relationship of viral data with African dust storms and other climatic variables (viz., the seasonality, origin of the air mass and PM levels) was analyzed. Enteroviruses and Rotaviruses were detected in 15.4% (20/130) and 36.9% (48/130) of the samples, respectively. No significant statistical relationships were observed with African dust storms or the origin of the air masses, although higher percentages of positives were obtained for dust storm days. Enterovirus detection was significantly linked to warmer seasons, and PM_(2.5) levels showed an inverse correlation with a rotaviral presence. This is the first multi-year report to describe the presence of Enterovirus and Rotavirus genetic sequences in air samples collected in an outdoor urban environment. The data illustrates the need for source region sampling to determine links and the influence of the weather and climatic and regional wind patterns on long-range atmospheric dispersion of viruses in future research efforts.