Global meta-analysis of short-term associations between ambient temperature and pathogen-specific respiratory infections, 2004 to 2023
Eurosurveillance·
- DOI
- 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2025.30.11.2400375
- PMID
- 40116032
- PMCID
- PMC11927074
- OpenAlex
- W4408687094
- Study type
- Meta-analysis
- Publisher
- European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The abstract frames pathogen-specific temperature sensitivity as relevant to planning for warmer climatic conditions. It states that public health decision-makers should develop pathogen adaptation strategies.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The article examined whether short-term ambient temperature changes are associated with respiratory infections in ways that differ by pathogen.
Study design
This was a global random-effects meta-analysis of studies identified through nine database searches, covering publications from 2004 to 2023. The bibliographic metadata also classifies it as a peer-reviewed meta-analysis.
Population and setting
The abstract describes a global evidence base of 137 eligible studies on respiratory infections and ambient temperature. Specific countries, populations, or care settings are not identified in the supplied abstract or metadata.
Main findings
Per 1 degree Celsius higher ambient temperature, pooled estimates were lower for several viral infections, including RSV, influenza, human metapneumovirus, human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and Streptococcus pyogenes pharyngitis. Higher estimates were reported for human parainfluenza virus, human bocavirus, MERS-CoV, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Legionella pneumophila. The abstract also reports subtype-level variation, including lower estimates for IVA, IVB, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-OC43, and higher estimates for HPIV-3 and HBoV-1.
Public-health relevance
The abstract frames pathogen-specific temperature sensitivity as relevant to planning for warmer climatic conditions. It states that public health decision-makers should develop pathogen adaptation strategies.
Important limitations
The supplied abstract does not provide explicit study limitations. This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata, and the original paper would be needed for decision-grade interpretation of methods, heterogeneity, bias assessment, and applicability.
GIDS interpretation
The classifier links make this article discoverable in relation to SARS, COVID-19, influenza, MERS, climate and environment, and health policy. These labels provide indexing context only and should not be interpreted as confirmation from any live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 5 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.