Open AccessFluid Dynamics of Respiratory Infectious Diseases
Author(s) -
Lydia Bourouiba
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
annual review of biomedical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.142
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1545-4274
pISSN - 1523-9829
DOI - 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-111820-025044
Subject(s) - pathogen , host response , biology , host (biology) , transmission (telecommunications) , immunology , intensive care medicine , medicine , computer science , ecology , immune system , telecommunications
The host-to-host transmission of respiratory infectious diseases is fundamentally enabled by the interaction of pathogens with a variety of fluids (gas or liquid) that shape pathogen encapsulation and emission, transport and persistence in the environment, and new host invasion and infection. Deciphering the mechanisms and fluid properties that govern and promote these steps of pathogen transmission will enable better risk assessment and infection control strategies, and may reveal previously underappreciated ways in which the pathogens might actually adapt to or manipulate the physical and chemical characteristics of these carrier fluids to benefit their own transmission. In this article, I review our current understanding of the mechanisms shaping the fluid dynamics of respiratory infectious diseases.