Effects of meteorological factors and atmospheric pollutants on the prevalence of respiratory adenovirus in children in Lanzhou, Northwest China

Background Climate change and atmospheric pollution significantly affect disease prevalence and spread. Human adenovirus (HADV) is a common pathogen that causes acute respiratory infections in children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between HAdV infection and meteorological factors and atmospheric pollutants in children in Lanzhou, Northwest China, and to gain insights into the influence of environmental factors on virus transmission. Methods Clinical specimens of acute respiratory tract infections in children from a sentinel hospital in Lanzhou City between January 2023 and February 2025 were collected for respiratory adenoviral nucleic acid testing. The positive detection rates of different ages, sexes, and seasons were analyzed, and stepwise linear regression combined with generalized additive modeling (GAM) was used to explore the correlation between HAdV infection and meteorological factors and air pollutants. Results From January 2023 to February 2025, a total of 1,339 throat swab samples were collected from children with acute respiratory infections (ARI), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.48:1. The HADV positivity rate in 2024 was 11.03% (91/825), higher than the 5.45% (28/514) in 2023. The positivity rates among male and female children were 8.65% (69/798) and 9.24% (50/541), respectively. Among these, the positive detection rates in preschool-aged and school-aged children were higher than those in infant and toddler groups, at 10.43% (44/422), 10.34% (45/435), 5.15% (10/194), and 6.94% (20/288), respectively. HADV was detected in all four seasons, with the highest detection rates in autumn and winter, at 10.85% (28/258) and 12.78% (62/485), respectively. The positive detection rate of HADV showed a significant negative correlation with meteorological factors (temperature, sunshine duration, wind speed), with correlation coefficients of: r = -0.640 ( P  < 0.05); r = -0.638 ( P  < 0.05); r = -0.621 ( P  < 0.05); It showed a significant positive correlation with atmospheric pollutants (CO, NO₂, and SO₂), with correlation coefficients of r = 0.761 ( P  < 0.05); r = 0.685 ( P  < 0.05); r = 0.716 ( P  < 0.05); and a significant negative correlation with atmospheric pollutant O₃, with a correlation coefficient of r = -0.694 ( P  < 0.05). GAM analysis showed that meteorological factors (temperature, sunshine duration, and wind speed) were all significantly non-linearly associated with the number of adenovirus infections. Conclusions HADV was detected at a higher rate in children in the preschool and school-age groups, and most cases were detected in the fall and winter seasons. The positive detection rate of HADV was negatively correlated with meteorological factors (temperature, hours of sunshine, and wind speed) and the atmospheric pollutant O₃, and positively correlated with atmospheric pollutants (CO, NO₂, and SO₂). The influence of these pollutants on the prevalence of HAdV infection should not be ignored.