Ambient Fungal Spores as Short-Term Predictors of Respiratory Virus Incidence and Mortality in Puerto Rico: Evidence from Machine Learning and Time-Series Modeling

Authors

Felix E. Rivera-Mariani, Lynn UniversityFollow
Armando J. Borrero-Aponte, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus
Benjamín Bolaños-Rosero, University of Puerto Rico - Medical Sciences Campus

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Publication Date

8-18-2025

Abstract

This poster presentation, which was a Late-Breaking Abstract, demonstrates that outdoor fungal spore concentrations, unlike pollen, serve as effective short-term environmental predictors for surges in both incidence and mortality of influenza and COVID-19 in Puerto Rico’s San Juan-Metro and Caguas regions, particularly during the fall season. Machine learning and time-series analyses indicate that integrating fungal spore data can enhance respiratory virus surveillance and help guide timely public health interventions.

Host

Hyatt Regency Atlanta

Conference/Symposium

Joint Annual Meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science (ISES) and the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE)

City/State

Atlanta, GA

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Comments

Late-Breaking E-poster Presentation

Theme: Global Environmental Health Equity across the Lifespan

Recommended Citation

Rivera-Mariani, F. E., Borrero-Aponte, A. J., & Bolaños-Rosero, B. (2025, August 17-20). Ambient fungal spores as short-term predictors of respiratory virus incidence and mortality in Puerto Rico: Evidence from machine learning and time-series modeling [Poster presentation]. Joint Annual Meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science (ISES) and the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), Atlanta, GA, United States.