Relationship Between the Route of Transmission, Environmental Tolerance and Mutation Rate of Some RNA Viruses with Their Pathogenicity

Abstract

In this study, an attempt was made to determine whether or not there is a connection between the pathogenesis of eight different RNA viruses (SARS-CoV-2, measles, mumps, seasonal influenza, avian influenza, human immunodeficiency, hepatitis C, and poliovirus) and the environmental and physical conditions that surround them. These conditions included the viruses ability to withstand heat and humidity, as well as the impact of ultraviolet radiation. The impacts of the acidity factor, the rate of transmission, and the size of the genome. In addition, the correlation with the vial mutation rates among the studied viruses were investigated. In general, the findings suggested that the following relationships exist: there is a direct relationship between virus susceptibility to infection and its heat tolerance; there is a positive relationship between virus susceptibility to infection and virus size; there is an inverse relationship between virus susceptibility to infection and high humidity; there is an inverse relationship between virus susceptibility to infection and the rate of mutation of the virus; and there is a positive relationship between virus size and the rate of mutation of the virus.