Datasets for "Stability of influenza A virus in droplets and aerosols is heightened by the presence of commensal respiratory bacteria".

Description

Abstract

Aerosol transmission remains a major challenge for the control of respiratory viruses, particularly for those that cause recurrent epidemics, like influenza A virus (IAV). These viruses are rarely expelled alone, but instead are embedded in a consortium of microorganisms that populate the respiratory tract. The impact of microbial communities and inter-pathogen interactions upon the stability of transmitted viruses is well-characterised for pathogens of the gut, but is particularly under-studied in the respiratory niche. Here, we assessed whether the presence of 5 different species of common commensal respiratory bacteria could influence the stability of IAV within droplets deposited on surfaces and within airborne aerosol particles at typical indoor air humidity. It was found that bacterial presence within stationary droplets, either a mixed community or individual strains, resulted  in 10- to 100-fold more infectious IAV remaining after 1 hour. Data show that bacterial viability was not required for this viral stabilisation, though maintained bacterial morphology seemed to be essential. Additionally, non-respiratory bacteria tested here seemed to have little stabilising effect, indicating this phenomenon was respiratory-specific. Data suggested that the protective bacteria stabilised IAV in droplets via induction of early efflorescence due to altered droplet morphology. Additionally, where droplet efflorescence was intentionally impeded, bacteria remained protective, indicating an additional stabilisation mechanism.  Streptococcus pneumoniae also stabilised IAV within aerosol, either by this additional unidentified mechanism, and/or due to altered evaporation rates as was observed for droplets. Notably, respiratory bacteria at equivalent density offered varying degrees of protection, with the Gram-positive species Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae being the most robustly stabilising. This suggests that the composition of an individual’s respiratory microbiota could be a previously un-considered host-specific factor influencing the efficacy of expelled viral spread. Identifying novel host-specific factors such as the commensal microbiota that can influence viral stability in the environment will further increase our understanding of individual transmission risks, and will provide novel opportunities to limit the spread of respiratory infections within our populations.