Editorial: Emerging Concepts for Respiratory Viruses After the Pandemic

Dimitra Dimopoulou^1,2Chrysanthi Skevaki^1,3,4,5,6Fusun Can^7,8Florence Morfin⁹Paraskevi C. Fragkou, MD, MSc, PhD, MRCP^1,10,3*

• ¹European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group for Respiratory Viruses (ESGREV), Basel, Switzerland
• ²Second Department of Pediatrics, "P. & A. Kyriakou" Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
• ³Centre for Public Health Research and Education (CPHRE), Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
• ⁴Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health, Boston, United States
• ⁵Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Molecular Diagnostics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
• ⁶German Centre for Lung Research (DZL), University of Giessen, Marburg Lung Centre (UGMLC), Giessen, Germany
• ⁷Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye
• ⁸Koç University İşBank Center for Infectious Diseases, Koç University Hospital (KUISCID), Istanbul, Türkiye
• ⁹Laboratory of Virology, Institut des Agents Infectieux, Hospices Civils de Lyon; CIRI (Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie), Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Lyon, France
• ¹⁰Internal Medicine Department, Aegli Medical Clinic, Athens, Greece

Respiratory virus research has been reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of climate change, both of which contributed to a shift in the epidemiology of respiratory viruses and highlighted gaps in our understanding about the plasticity and long-term consequences of these changes [1,2]. The pandemic also accelerated advances in research models and methods, underscoring evolving seasonality patterns, viral pathogenesis, and host interactions [1,2]. This research topic explored the changing epidemiology and pathogenesis of respiratory viruses, focusing on seasonality, long-term outcomes, and host responses. It also emphasized advances in diagnostics and therapeutics and the use of artificial intelligence for predictive modeling, aiming to inform public health strategies in the post-pandemic era. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the epidemiology of respiratory viruses due to widespread public health interventions such as lockdowns, masking, social distancing and school closures that resulted in the interruption of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the seasonal dynamics of other respiratory viruses [3,4] To conclude, these studies demonstrate that the pandemic reshaped the epidemiology, seasonality, and clinical impact of respiratory viruses, and they highlight the ongoing vulnerabilities across pediatric and healthcare populations, as well as the need for continuous enhanced surveillance, vaccination, and targeted protective strategies to address future respiratory viral infection threats in the post-pandemic era. While a huge body of data on COVID-19 pathogenesis is currently available, many aspects of the complex host-pathogen interplay remain still unknown. Bugatti et al.showed that SARS-CoV-2 can infect ACE2-negative primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HL-mECs) through an alternative entry mechanism that relies on the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif expressed in the receptor binding domain Taken together, the studies featured in this collection offer a broad, yet detailed picture of how the pandemic has reshaped our understanding of respiratory viruses-from shifting in their circulation patterns to the emergence of new clinical and immunological insights. As we move forward, these observations emphasize the importance of flexible surveillance systems, thoughtful public health planning, and continued scientific investment to anticipate and respond to future challenges.