Environmental Air Sampling of Respiratory Viruses in School Settings: A Scoping Review

Respiratory viral infections represent a substantial public health burden among children, with school environments playing a critical role in viral transmission due to high occupancy densities, prolonged close contact, and often suboptimal ventilation. Increasing evidence supports airborne transmission as a dominant pathway for major respiratory viruses, including influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinoviruses, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Given that children spend a significant proportion of their time in school settings and exhibit higher susceptibility to respiratory infections, understanding airborne viral exposure in these environments is of high public health relevance. Environmental air sampling has emerged as a non-invasive surveillance approach capable of detecting airborne respiratory viruses shed by symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, independent of healthcare-seeking behavior or clinical testing. A variety of bioaerosol sampling technologies and laboratory analytical methods have been applied in indoor environments, including schools; however, the existing evidence remains fragmented, methodologically heterogeneous, and dispersed across multiple scientific disciplines. To date, there has been no comprehensive synthesis of how environmental air sampling for respiratory viruses has been conducted specifically within school settings, which virus types have been targeted, what environmental parameters have been assessed. The purpose of this scoping review is to systematically map and characterize the existing literature on environmental air sampling of respiratory viruses in school-based settings. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, this review will identify and describe the range of respiratory viruses investigated, air sampling methodologies and analytical techniques employed, environmental and ventilation parameters reported, and key viruses detected among school settings. Due to the exploratory nature of the field, the review will synthesize findings narratively and will not assess the methodological quality or risk of bias of included studies. The expected outcomes of this project include a comprehensive evidence map of school-based environmental air sampling studies, identification of methodological patterns and inconsistencies, and recognition of critical knowledge gaps. The findings are expected to inform future hypothesis-driven research, contribute to methodological standardization, and support the integration of environmental air surveillance into broader respiratory virus monitoring and prevention strategies in educational settings.