biostudies-literatureDamialis ANIEHS NIH HHSEC | European Regional Development FundMinistry of Education, Culture and Sports, SpainSuomen Akatemiae2019034118https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7999946biostudies-literatureUnknown118(12)Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaHigher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe.PMC79999463181941.1.1.2/VIAA/2/18/283FPU15/01668Y01 ES000001Valenzuela LRLipiec AADel Mar Trigo MOliver GButers JTMFord LBRasmussen KJurgens DThibaudon MGilge SPuc MBortnyk MBergmann KCPatsi SDunker SMeriggi AOteros JGrewling LDusicka JRodriguez-Rajo JFTavares BMagyar DRamon GDPiotrowska-Weryszko KHoek WGilles SGottardini ESahin AAGuvensen AWerchan MRojo Jvan Haeften SGomez RASaarto AEkebom AWeryszko-Chmielewska EMorales PCGalan CKoenders MMJFCaeiro EGrau JMMCoates FKolek FMiller VPicornell AYazici DCOVID-19/POLLEN study groupBeggs PJTacca MCWerchan BCamacho IGCTraidl-Hoffmann Cde Weger LASimcic ABarrionuevo LBOh JWGrinn-Gofron AManjra AIRapiejko AAMilic ALouna-Korteniemi MBielory LSeliger AKFernandez DRobles EDavies JMSkjoth CAFerreira MBLeier-Wirtz VKajitor-Apatini DBerman DSymon FARodriguez-Fernandez ACelenk SCristofori AToiviainen LBelmonte JPlaza MPBonini MGonzalez-Alonso MRapiejko PSofiev MAdams-Groom BSozinova OSatchwell JDeus RJRCPerez-de-Zabalza AMakra LArino AHRodrigues Costa ACKamboj SPace LRodinkova VCristofolini FLara BBurton PGalveias Jorge ACUguz USofieva VFinemann SCeriotti VKalinowska EPashley CHClot BLaffersova JFernandez-Rodriguez SMarraccini PRibeiro HPinar NMYasniuk MSauliene Ide Linares CMiguel Antunes CMCharalampopoulos AKaschuba SKatelaris CHHaberle SMyszkowska DDamialis AZiemianin MPeter JRoldan NGPerez-Badia RPini AJurkiewicz DPham-Thi NMascagni PHornick TJia PDahl AHoebeke LBruffaerts NVecenaj AWilhelm WMarcer GSikoparija BVokou DSeverova EZiska LHGoksel OGoksel TStjepanovic BKeaney BRybnicek OPalamarchuk OLopes Fonseca JABayr DBastl MBordin Avan Vliet AJHArguisuelas AGSackesen CScevkova JRecio MSzigeti TfalseHigher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe.Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Mar2026-05-02T00:53:23.751Z2022-02-11T09:57:43.712ZS-EPMC79999463379809510.1073/pnas.2019034118