Many viruses are not heat-resistant, which is why the flu season, for example, is winter. We had hoped that this would also be the case for the new coronavirus, but the fact that it has still spread in regions where the temperature is over 30°C, such as Singapore, is not a very encouraging sign.
However, according to a Chinese study, warm temperatures could at least slow it down, noted ZME Science. A statistical study of 4,711 cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 throughout China showed that the higher the temperature and humidity, the less the epidemic spread. If confirmed, this would be good news for the northern hemisphere in the months ahead, and bad news for the southern hemisphere.
Test on a harmless replica
But all this is based on probability. To find out more scientifically, a study has just been launched at the University of Utah in the United States. The researchers are going to test the resistance of the coronavirus to heat, humidity and other environmental changes. To do this, they will recreate synthetic particles of the coronavirus, but without its genome, so that it cannot infect anyone or multiply. The idea is really to see how the physics of its spread can be affected.
As with influenza, SARS-CoV-2 travels between humans in the form of airborne mucus droplets. Observing how these droplets react to temperature and humidity should give us an idea of whether or not the virus will slow down as the warmer weather sets in. And anything that alters the structural integrity of the coronavirus is a good thing. "This is not a vaccine. It won't solve the crisis, but we hope it will inform future policy decisions," said Michael Vershinin from the university's Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Multidisciplinary centre
While previous viruses have been studied for their means and speed of propagation, the influence of climate has rarely been considered. The laboratory at the University of Utah, which has just received a grant of 200,000 Swiss francs to carry out this research, has years of experience in studying viruses on a nanometric scale. In addition, it is part of the University's Centre for Cell and Genome Sciences (CCGS), where physicists, chemists and biologists work together. As a result, interdisciplinary collaboration can easily be set up if required.
Michel Pralong
source: Le Matin
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