Interlaboratory comparison of relative humidity standards among Latin American National Metrology Institutes (SIM.T-S10)

Abstract Air temperature and relative humidity are the main drivers of many fungal diseases, such as moniliasis (Moniliophthora roreri), which affects cocoa production worldwide. This disease occurs in some Latin American countries; however, it has not yet occurred in Brazil. Moniliasis could cause serious damage to the Brazilian cocoa production if present in the country. Therefore, to know the risks of moniliasis to cocoa production in the largest Brazilian producing region, in the state of Bahia, this study investigated the climatic favorability for the occurrence of this disease in this state, by defining and mapping the climatic risks and by assessing the influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases on it. Daily air temperature and relative humidity data from 28 weather stations of the national weather network in the state of Bahia, between 1988 and 2018, were employed to determine the risk index for cocoa moniliasis occurrence (RICM), based on the number of days favorable to the disease, which was categorized in five levels of favorability, ranging from “unfavorable” to “very favorable”. Seasonal and annual RICM maps were generated by a multiple linear regression procedure, considering raster layers of latitude, longitude, and altitude. The maps showed a high spatial and temporal RICM variability in the state of Bahia, with the highest risk for moniliasis occurrence in the eastern part of the state, where most producing areas are located. The ENSO phase showed to influence cocoa moniliasis occurrence, with the years with a transition between El Niño and Neutral phases being the most critical for this disease in majority of assessed locations. These results show that cocoa producers in the state of Bahia, Brazil, should be concerned with moniliasis occurrence as a potential disease for their crops, mainly in the traditional producing regions and when ENOS is in a transition from El Niño to Neutral.

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Relationship between meteorological conditions and respiratory syncytial virus in a tropical country

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268814003793 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 143 (12) ◽

pp. 2679-2686 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

C. E. RODRIGUEZ-MARTINEZ ◽

M. P. SOSSA-BRICEÑO ◽

R. ACUÑA-CORDERO

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Wind Speed ◽

Relative Humidity ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

Latin American ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Acute Lower Respiratory Infection ◽

Average Temperature ◽

Monthly Average ◽

Syncytial Virus

SUMMARYThis study aimed to determine which meteorological conditions are associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isolates in a population of children hospitalized with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in Bogota, Colombia. In an analytical cross-sectional study, links were examined between the number of monthly RSV infections and monthly average climatic variation (temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed, solar radiation) between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2011 in a population of hospitalized children aged <3 years with ALRI caused by RSV. Out of a total of 1548 children included in the study (mean age 9·2 ± 8·5 months), 1194 (77·1%) presented RSV infection during the 3-month period from March to May. In the multivariate analysis, after controlling for wind speed, relative humidity, and solar radiation, monthly average temperature [incident rate ratio (IRR) 3·14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·56–6·30,P= 0·001] and rainfall (IRR 1·008, 95% CI 1·00–1·01,P= 0·048) were independently associated with the monthly number of RSV infections. In conclusion, in Bogota, a tropical Latin American city, average temperature and rainfall are the meteorological variables most strongly associated with RSV isolation in children hospitalized with ALRI in the city.

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