VIRUS-VIRUS INTERACTIONS
Uncovering the Intricate Interplay of Respiratory Viruses: How Influenza's Dominance Shapes the Viral Ecology, Disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
2) The key finding of this study is that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the typical seasonal patterns and virus-virus interactions among respiratory viruses.
Prior to COVID-19, the respiratory viruses exhibited distinct seasonal peaks with ...
3) ... influenza and RSV coinciding in winter, and parainfluenza peaking in summer. This suggested complex interplay between the viruses.
Despite an overall decline in respiratory virus infections during the pandemic, coinfection rates remained remarkably stable at around 10%.
4) This indicated the respiratory virus ecosystem was resilient to the disruption caused by COVID-19.
Statistical analysis and experimental coinfection studies revealed that influenza plays a pivotal role in shaping the dynamics of this viral ecosystem.
5) Influenza had strong positive interactions with RSV, enhancing its infection, but negative interactions with parainfluenza, inhibiting its spread.
6) The disruption of influenza's seasonal circulation during COVID-19 led to irregular patterns for other respiratory viruses, as the central "hub" of the virus-virus interaction network was removed.
7) This highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic indirectly impacted the broader respiratory virus ecology by altering the dynamics of influenza.
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