The shape of environmental aerosols contributes to the discrepancy in their dynamic behavior compared to spherical particles, which have received inadequate consideration. We reported deposition patterns of aerosols and aerosol-transmissible pathogens in real human respiratory systems, taking into account their actual shape, using a validated computational-based model. We found that the shape of the aerosols significantly influenced its deposits and accessibility within the respiratory system, significantly in the tracheobronchial region. As an example, we estimated that over 180 % of differences in deposits in the trachea and bronchi were attributable to pathogens shape, inferring the underlying pathogenicity difference of these regions. These findings, capturing the spatial heterogeneity of pathogens and aerosols deposition in human respiratory system, have major implication for understanding the evolution of aerosol-related disease.

中文翻译：

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病原体形状：通过呼吸道沉积对致病性的影响


与球形颗粒相比，环境气溶胶的形状导致了其动态行为的差异，而球形颗粒尚未得到充分考虑。我们使用经过验证的基于计算的模型，报告了真实人类呼吸系统中气溶胶和气溶胶传播病原体的沉积模式，考虑到它们的实际形状。我们发现气溶胶的形状显着影响其在呼吸系统内的沉积和可及性，尤其是在气管支气管区域。例如，我们估计气管和支气管沉积物的差异超过 180% 可归因于病原体的形状，从而推断出这些区域潜在的致病性差异。这些发现捕捉了人类呼吸系统中病原体和气溶胶沉积的空间异质性，对于理解气溶胶相关疾病的演变具有重要意义。