Wang Wenli, Wang Yongxin, Hu Haoneng, Zhou Quan, Kang Shuling, Jiang Yu, Xiang Jianjun, Wu Jing, Li Jing, Chen Zhiwei, Wu Chuancheng
School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Fuzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fuzhou, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 25;13:1616737. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1616737. eCollection 2025.
Fine particulate matter (PM) is a well-known air pollutant and has been suggested as a potential vector for airborne viruses, raising public health concerns. This study employed metaviromic sequencing to systematically analyze the composition, temporal-spatial distribution, and environmental influencing factors of viral communities in PM samples collected from Fuzhou, China, to identify potential high-risk viruses and the key factors influencing their presence.
Three outdoor PM sampling sites were established in the city center, rural-urban fringe, and rural areas of Fuzhou. Samples were collected from December 2022 to August 2023. The collected PM samples underwent high-throughput sequencing and viral annotation, and statistical analysis along with multivariate regression analyses were used to investigate the characteristics of viral distribution and its influencing factors.
A total of 117 PM samples were collected. The viral community diversity in PM exhibited significant seasonal variation ( < 0.05), with the highest number of viral species detected in winter at both the genus and species levels. In terms of regional distribution, the highest number of viruses was found in city center and the lowest in rural areas, while there were slight differences in viral composition among regions, these were not statistically significant. Additionally, analysis of environmental factors revealed that sulfur dioxide (SO) in the air quality factor and wind speed in the meteorological factor influenced the relative abundance of viruses.
Urbanization and human activities may affect regional viral patterns, but the overall improved air quality in Fuzhou could have reduced regional disparities. Environmental factors such as SO and wind speed may influence viral survival and dispersion, suggesting that non-traditional pollutants warrant closer attention in the context of airborne virus transmission.
细颗粒物（PM）是一种众所周知的空气污染物，被认为是空气传播病毒的潜在载体，引发了公众对健康的担忧。本研究采用宏病毒组测序技术，系统分析了从中国福州采集的PM样本中病毒群落的组成、时空分布及环境影响因素，以识别潜在的高风险病毒及其存在的关键影响因素。
在福州市中心、城乡边缘和农村地区设立了三个室外PM采样点。于2022年12月至2023年8月采集样本。对采集的PM样本进行高通量测序和病毒注释，并采用统计分析和多元回归分析来研究病毒分布特征及其影响因素。
共采集了117个PM样本。PM中的病毒群落多样性呈现出显著的季节变化（<0.05），在属和种水平上，冬季检测到的病毒种类最多。在区域分布方面，市中心检测到的病毒数量最多，农村地区最少，各区域间病毒组成虽有细微差异，但无统计学意义。此外，环境因素分析表明，空气质量因素中的二氧化硫（SO）和气象因素中的风速会影响病毒的相对丰度。
城市化和人类活动可能会影响区域病毒模式，但福州整体空气质量的改善可能缩小了区域差异。SO和风速等环境因素可能影响病毒的存活和扩散，这表明在空气传播病毒传播的背景下，非传统污染物值得密切关注。
