Abstract
Knowing the transmission factors and the natural environment that favor the spread of a viral infection is crucial to stop outbreaks and develop effective preventive strategies. This work aims to evaluate the role of Particulate Matter (PM) in the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing especially on that of PM as a vector for SARS-CoV-2. Exposure to PM has been related to new cases and to the clinical severity of people infected by SARS-CoV-2, which can be explained by the oxidative stress and the inflammatory response generated by these particles when entering the respiratory system, as well as by the role of PM in the expression of ACE-2 in respiratory cells in human hosts. In addition, different authors have detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in PM sampled both in outdoor and indoor environments. The results of various studies lead to the hypothesis that the aerosols emitted by an infected person could be deposited in other suspended particles, sometimes of natural but especially of anthropogenic origin, that form the basal PM. However, the viability of the virus in PM has not yet been demonstrated. Should PM be confirmed as a vector of transmission, prevention strategies ought to be adapted, and PM sampling in outdoor environments could become an indicator of viral load in a specific area.
Keywords: ACE-2; Air pollution; Covid-19; Particulate matter; SARS-CoV-2; Vector.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, ACE-2, Particulate matter, Air pollution, Vector., 【초록키워드】 viral infection, COVID-19 pandemic, Transmission, aerosol, oxidative stress, virus, Aerosols, Particle, ACE-2, Spread, Viral load, outbreak, viability, vector, Particulate matter, Air pollution, Respiratory system, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, expression, Clinical severity, Hypothesis, Inflammatory response, exposure to, Indicator, Natural environment, Factor, favor, hosts, matter, Particulate, effective, respiratory cells, suspended particles, develop, evaluate, addition, explained, demonstrated, anthropogenic, respiratory cell, 【제목키워드】 Direct,