Technische Universität München
Covid-19 risk increases with airborne pollen - Press Conference
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH
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NEWS RELEASE & PRESS CONFERENCE
Covid-19 risk increases with airborne pollen
Increased pollen concentrations correlate with higher SARS-CoV-2 infection rates
When airborne pollen levels are higher, increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates can be observed. These results were determined by a large-scale study conducted by an international team headed by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München. On Tuesday, March 9, at 3 pm CET, the team will present the findings published in the prestigious journal PNAS at an international online press conference – and highlight ways in which people in high risk groups could protect themselves.
In the spring of 2020, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic appeared to coincide with the tree pollen season in the northern hemisphere. These observations prompted an international team of researchers to conduct an extensive investigation: The scientists wanted to know whether there is a demonstrable link between airborne pollen concentrations and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates.
Pollen is a significant environmental factor influencing infection rates
Under the leadership of first author Athanasios Damialis, the team at the Chair of Environmental Medicine at TUM collected data on airborne pollen concentrations, weather conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infections – taking into consideration the variation of infection rates from one day to another and the total number of positive tests. In their calculations, the team also included data on population density and the effects of lockdown measures. The 154 researchers analyzed pollen data from 130 stations in 31 countries on five continents.
The team showed that airborne pollen can account for, on average, 44 percent of the variation in infection rates, with humidity and air temperature also playing a role in some cases. During intervals without lockdown regulations, infection rates were on average 4 percent higher with every increase of 100 grains of airborne pollen per cubic meter. In some German cities, concentrations of up to 500 pollen grains per cubic meter per day were recorded during the study – which led to an overall increase in infection rates of more than 20 percent. In regions where lockdown rules were in effect, however, the infection numbers were on average only half as high at comparable pollen concentrations.
Airborne pollen weakens immune response
High pollen concentrations lead to a weaker immune response in airways to viruses that can cause coughs and colds. When a virus enters the body, infected cells usually send out messenger proteins. This is also the case with SARS-CoV-2. These proteins, known as antiviral interferons, signal nearby cells to escalate their antiviral defenses to keep the invaders at bay. Additionally, an appropriate inflammation response is activated to fight the viruses.
But if airborne pollen concentrations are high, and pollen grains are inhaled with the virus particles, fewer antiviral interferons are generated. The beneficial inflammatory response itself is also affected. Therefore, on days with a high concentration of pollen, it can lead to an increase in the number of respiratory illnesses. This also holds true for Covid-19. Whether individuals are allergic to the different pollen types is irrelevant.
“You cannot avoid exposure to airborne pollen,” says Stefanie Gilles who is also first author of the study. “People in high-risk groups should, therefore, be informed that high levels of airborne pollen concentrations lead to an increased susceptibility to viral respiratory tract infections.” Athanasios Damialis emphasizes: “When studying the spread of SARS-CoV-2, environmental factors such as pollen must be taken into account. Increased awareness of these effects are an important step in preventing and mitigating the impact of Covid-19.”
Particle filtering masks provide protection
What can vulnerable people do to protect themselves? Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, last author and a professor of environmental medicine, advises people at high-risk to monitor pollen forecasts over the coming months. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann states: “Wearing a particle filtering mask when pollen concentrations are high can keep both the virus and pollen out of the airways.”
Publications:
A. Damialis, S. Gilles et. al.: 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 (PNAS), March 2021
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2019034118
S. Gilles, C. Blume et al.:
Pollen exposure weakens innate defense against respiratory viruses.
Allergy. March 2020, 75(3):576-587.
DOI: 10.1111/all.14047
Press conference:
Journalists are invited to participate in the international press conference via ZOOM webinar. Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, Dr. Athanasios Damialis and Dr. Stefanie Gilles will briefly present their research, followed by a Q&A session.
Date: Tuesday, March 9
Time: 3 pm CET (Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna)
Language: English
Program: 10 minutes presentation, 50 minutes Q&A
Please register in advance for this ZOOM webinar via the following link and by using your real name:
https://tum-conf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3mWtohGEQz25TlqSbD-UaA
You will receive the login data for the webinar immediately after your registration. By attending the conference, you consent to its recording and publication – and in case that you ask questions to the panel you consent to the public visibility of your full name.
You are allowed to record the conference using your own technical infrastructure and to use all statements made. We will provide you with the recording (mp4) of the conference approximately two hours later.
Additional (private) live stream on YouTube:
Further information:
Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann is Professor of Environmental Medicine and has for many years conducted research for many years with her team as part of the UNIKA-T research network at TUM. She is Head of the Chair of Environmental Medicine which has recently been transferred to the Medical Faculty of Augsburg University. She is also Director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Director of the University Outpatient Clinic for Environmental Medicine at Augsburg University Hospital. She additionally teaches at the Institute for Food & Health (ZIEL) at TUM, as well as in other institutions.
Contact:
Press Conference:
Lisa Pietrzyk
Press Relations
Technical University of Munich
lisa.pietrzyk@tum.de
Scientific:
Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
Director Institute of Environmental Medicine
Technical University of Munich & Helmholtz Zentrum München
Email: c.traidl-hoffmann@tum.de
Dr. Athanasios Damialis
Head of the Research Group “Aerobiology”
Technical University of Munich & Helmholtz Zentrum München
Email: thanos.damialis@tum.de
Dr. Stefanie Gilles
Head of the Research Group “Environmental Immunology”
Technical University of Munich & Helmholtz Zentrum München
Email: stefanie.gilles@tum.de
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of Europe’s leading research universities, with over 600 professors, 45,000 students, and 11,000 academic and non-academic staff. Its focus areas are the engineering sciences, natural sciences, life sciences and medicine, combined with economic and social sciences. TUM acts as an entrepreneurial university that promotes talents and creates value for society. In that it profits from having strong partners in science and industry. It is represented worldwide with the TUM Asia campus in Singapore as well as offices in Beijing, Brussels, Mumbai, San Francisco, and São Paulo. Nobel Prize winners and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde, and Rudolf Mößbauer have done research at TUM. In 2006, 2012, and 2019 it won recognition as a German "Excellence University." In international rankings, TUM regularly places among the best universities in Germany.