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17 pages, 2430 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of Two Different Techniques to Concentrate Samples for Bioaerosol Quantification

by Hyeon-Ju Oh, Taewon T. Han and Gediminas Mainelis

Atmosphere 2020, 11(5), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11050504 - 14 May 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2978

We evaluated two concentrating techniques that could be used to improve bioaerosol detection and quantification: A BioChromato Smart Evaporator C1 (BioChromato, Inc.) and two Concentrating Pipette (CP) models (CP-150 and CP-Select) (InnovaPrep, LLC). We determined the concentration factor (CF) (the concentration of particles [...] Read more.

We evaluated two concentrating techniques that could be used to improve bioaerosol detection and quantification: A BioChromato Smart Evaporator C1 (BioChromato, Inc.) and two Concentrating Pipette (CP) models (CP-150 and CP-Select) (InnovaPrep, LLC). We determined the concentration factor (CF) (the concentration of particles in the final solution compared to the concentration in the initial solution) and the particle losses when processing the samples with polystyrene latex (PSL) beads and different species of bacteria. When processing total particles, regardless of the culturability status, the losses for the Evaporator were 3.70–23.89%; for the CP-models, the losses ranged from 0.20% to 67.22%. For the culturable particles processed with the CP devices, the losses ranged from 42.85% to 90.19% and were higher for Gram-negative pseudomonads compared to Gram-positive B. subtilis. Despite the loss of particles, both devices yielded more concentrated final solutions. The CF for the Evaporator was 3.59–10.92; the CF values for the CP devices ranged from 55.77 to 184.64 for total particles and from 6.29 to 96.52 for culturable bacteria. This higher CF was mainly achieved due to lower final suspension volumes. The study demonstrated that the two concentrators can improve particle detection, but that one should take particle losses into account. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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12 pages, 3992 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Generation of Viable Bacterial and Fungal Aerosols during Biomass Combustion

by Ekaterina Mirskaya and Igor E. Agranovski

Atmosphere 2020, 11(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11030313 - 24 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2409

Abstract

Biomass combustion is known to be one of the main contributors to air pollution. However, the influence of biomass burning on the distribution of viable bacterial and fungal aerosols is uncertain. This study aimed to examine survivability of bacteria and fungi in the [...] Read more.

Biomass combustion is known to be one of the main contributors to air pollution. However, the influence of biomass burning on the distribution of viable bacterial and fungal aerosols is uncertain. This study aimed to examine survivability of bacteria and fungi in the post-combustion products, and to investigate the aerosolization of viable cells during combustion of different types of organic materials. Laboratory experiments included a small-scale combustion of organic materials contaminated with microorganisms in order to determine the survivability of microbes in the combustion products and the potential aerosolization of viable cells during combustion. Field experiments were completed during intentional and prescribed biomass burning events in order to investigate the aerosolization mechanisms that are not available at the laboratory scale. Laboratory experiments did not demonstrate aerosolization of microorganisms during biomass combustion. However, the relatively high survival rate of bacteria in the combustion products ought to be accounted for, as the surviving microorganisms can potentially be aerosolized by high velocity natural air flows. Field investigations demonstrated significant increase in the bioaerosol concentration above natural background during and after biomass combustion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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16 pages, 881 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationships between Exposure to Bioaerosols, Moldy Surface and Symptoms in French Mold-Damaged Homes

by Antoine Delanoë, Natacha Heutte, Stéphanie Gente, Virginie Séguin and David Garon

Atmosphere 2020, 11(3), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11030223 - 25 Feb 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3418

Abstract

Air quality in homes is a major concern in Europe, where people spend most of their time indoors. According to the World Health Organization, numerous houses are subject to dampness that can lead to mold growth, with associated health and economic consequences. Our [...] Read more.

Air quality in homes is a major concern in Europe, where people spend most of their time indoors. According to the World Health Organization, numerous houses are subject to dampness that can lead to mold growth, with associated health and economic consequences. Our goal was to characterize the human exposure to bioaerosols in French mold-damaged houses but also to study the effects of these bioaerosols as suffered by the inhabitants of these houses. A global approach including both field study and laboratory experimentation was used to investigate 48 mold-damaged homes. Among a wide fungal diversity, 101 viable species, Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum and P. crustosum were observed as recurrent species and could be used as microbial indicators of indoor air quality. Statistical analyses highlighted a relationship between the concentrations of these recurrent molds and the levels of surface contamination by molds in homes. Fever, cough, dyspnea, flu-like symptoms were observed with several fungal strains (A. versicolor, P. chrysogenum and P. crustosum) or in relation to moldy odor. Relationships between particles of 2 to 15 µm diameter and headaches and dizziness were also observed. In our study, we identified a cutaneous effect (itching) in relationship to the airborne concentration of A. versicolor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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29 pages, 4528 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intercomparison of Multiple UV-LIF Spectrometers Using the Aerosol Challenge Simulator

by Elizabeth Forde, Martin Gallagher, Maurice Walker, Virginia Foot, Alexis Attwood, Gary Granger, Roland Sarda-Estève, Warren Stanley, Paul Kaye and David Topping

Atmosphere 2019, 10(12), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10120797 - 9 Dec 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4549

Abstract

Measurements of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) have been conducted worldwide using ultraviolet light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectrometers. However, how these instruments detect and respond to known biological and non-biological particles, and how they compare, remains uncertain due to limited laboratory intercomparisons. Using the [...] Read more.

Measurements of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) have been conducted worldwide using ultraviolet light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) spectrometers. However, how these instruments detect and respond to known biological and non-biological particles, and how they compare, remains uncertain due to limited laboratory intercomparisons. Using the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Aerosol Challenge Simulator (ACS), controlled concentrations of biological and non-biological aerosol particles, singly or as mixtures, were produced for testing and intercomparison of multiple versions of the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Spectrometer (WIBS) and Multiparameter Bioaerosol Spectrometer (MBS). Although the results suggest some challenges in discriminating biological particle types across different versions of the same UV-LIF instrument, a difference in fluorescence intensity between the non-biological and biological samples could be identified for most instruments. While lower concentrations of fluorescent particles were detected by the MBS, the MBS demonstrates the potential to discriminate between pollen and other biological particles. This study presents the first published technical summary and use of the ACS for instrument intercomparisons. Within this work a clear overview of the data pre-processing is also presented, and documentation of instrument version/model numbers is suggested to assess potential instrument variations between different versions of the same instrument. Further laboratory studies sampling different particle types are suggested before use in quantifying impact on ambient classification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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16 pages, 1348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reduction of Bioaerosols Emitted from a Swine Confinement Building by a Percolating Biofilter During a 10-Month Period

by Jonathan M Vyskocil, Valérie Létourneau, Matthieu Girard, Ariane Lévesque and Caroline Duchaine

Atmosphere 2019, 10(9), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10090525 - 6 Sep 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3021

Abstract

The release of pathogens into the air from swine confinement buildings are mitigated through preventative measures, such as outgoing air filtration, to reduce the risk of spread to nearby barns and communities. The present study aims to characterize the effectiveness of a percolating [...] Read more.

The release of pathogens into the air from swine confinement buildings are mitigated through preventative measures, such as outgoing air filtration, to reduce the risk of spread to nearby barns and communities. The present study aims to characterize the effectiveness of a percolating biofilter developed by the Research and Development Institute for the Agri-environment (IRDA) to capture airborne contaminants, such as bacteria and viruses emitted from a swine finishing room. Over a 10-month period (summer, fall, and winter), air was sampled upwind and downwind of the biofilter using two wet walled cyclonic samplers. Culture-dependent and molecular biology analyses were used to track changes in microbial concentrations and populations both captured and emitted by the percolating biofilter. Results revealed a minor reduction (median reduction efficiency 14.4%) in culturable bacteria. There was a decrease in total bacteria (qPCR) (75.0%) and other qPCR targeted organisms: archaea (42.1%), coliphages (25.6%), Enterococcus (76.1%), and Escherichia coli (40.9%). The community analyses showed similar bacterial diversity in the air upwind and downwind of the biofilter although more Proteobacteria were present downwind of the unit, likely attributable to the Proteobacteria-rich nutritive solution. Evidence is provided for bioaerosols reduction by a percolating biofilter treating air from a swine fattening-finishing room. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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18 pages, 2392 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aerosol Microbiome over the Mediterranean Sea Diversity and Abundance

by Esra Mescioglu, Eyal Rahav, Natalia Belkin, Peng Xian, Jordan M. Eizenga, Ania Vichik, Barak Herut and Adina Paytan

Atmosphere 2019, 10(8), 440; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10080440 - 1 Aug 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4435

Abstract

Prokaryotic microbes can become aerosolized and deposited into new environments located thousands of kilometers away from their place of origin. The Mediterranean Sea is an oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic marginal sea, which neighbors northern Africa (a major source of natural aerosols) and Europe (a [...] Read more.

Prokaryotic microbes can become aerosolized and deposited into new environments located thousands of kilometers away from their place of origin. The Mediterranean Sea is an oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic marginal sea, which neighbors northern Africa (a major source of natural aerosols) and Europe (a source of mostly anthropogenic aerosols). Previous studies demonstrated that airborne bacteria deposited during dust events over the Mediterranean Sea may significantly alter the ecology and function of the surface seawater layer, yet little is known about their abundance and diversity during ‘background’ non-storm conditions. Here, we describe the abundance and genetic diversity of airborne bacteria in 16 air samples collected over an East-West transect of the entire Mediterranean Sea during non-storm conditions in April 2011. The results show that airborne bacteria represent diverse groups with the most abundant bacteria from the Firmicutes (Bacilli and Clostridia) and Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria) phyla. Most of the bacteria in our samples have previously been observed in the air at other open ocean locations, in the air over the Mediterranean Sea during dust storms, and in the Mediterranean seawater. Airborne bacterial abundance ranged from 0.7 × 10⁴ to 2.5 × 10⁴ cells m⁻³ air, similar to abundances at other oceanic regimes. Our results demonstrate that airborne bacterial diversity is positively correlated with the mineral dust content in the aerosols and was spatially separated between major basins of the Mediterranean Sea. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive biogeographical dataset to assess the diversity and abundance of airborne microbes over the Mediterranean Sea. Our results shed light on the spatiotemporal distribution of airborne microbes and may have implications for dispersal and distribution of microbes (biogeography) in the ocean. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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20 pages, 5227 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dust-Associated Airborne Microbes Affect Primary and Bacterial Production Rates, and Eukaryotes Diversity, in the Northern Red Sea: A Mesocosm Approach

by Esra Mescioglu, Eyal Rahav, Miguel J. Frada, Sahar Rosenfeld, Ofrat Raveh, Yuri Galletti, Chiara Santinelli, Barak Herut and Adina Paytan

Atmosphere 2019, 10(7), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10070358 - 28 Jun 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3543

Abstract

The northern Red Sea (NRS) is a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (LNLC) ecosystem with high rates of atmospheric deposition due to its proximity to arid regions. Impacts of atmospheric deposition on LNLC ecosystems have been attributed to the chemical constituents of dust, while overlooking bioaerosols. [...] Read more.

The northern Red Sea (NRS) is a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (LNLC) ecosystem with high rates of atmospheric deposition due to its proximity to arid regions. Impacts of atmospheric deposition on LNLC ecosystems have been attributed to the chemical constituents of dust, while overlooking bioaerosols. Understanding how these vast areas of the ocean will respond to future climate and anthropogenic change hinges on the response of microbial communities to these changes. We tested the impacts of bioaerosols on the surface water microbial diversity and the primary and bacterial production rates in the NRS, a system representative of other LNLC oceanic regions, using a mesocosm bioassay experiment. By treating NRS surface seawater with dust, which contained nutrients, metals, and viable organisms, and “UV-treated dust” (which contained only nutrients and metals), we were able to assess the impacts of bioaerosols on local natural microbial populations. Following amendments (20 and 44 h) the incubations treated with “live dust” showed different responses than those with UV-treated dust. After 44 h, primary production was suppressed (as much as 50%), and bacterial production increased (as much as 55%) in the live dust treatments relative to incubations amended with UV-treated dust or the control. The diversity of eukaryotes was lower in treatments with airborne microbes. These results suggest that the airborne microorganisms and viruses alter the surface microbial ecology of the NRS. These results may have implications for the carbon cycle in LNLC ecosystems, which are expanding and are especially important since dust storms are predicted to increase in the future due to desertification and expansion of arid regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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11 pages, 2240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship between Air-Mass Trajectories and the Abundance of Dust-Borne Prokaryotes at the SE Mediterranean Sea

by Eyal Rahav, Natalia Belkin, Adina Paytan and Barak Herut

Atmosphere 2019, 10(5), 280; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10050280 - 20 May 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3536

Abstract

Airborne prokaryotes are transported along with dust/aerosols, yet very little attention is given to their temporal variability above the oceans and the factors that govern their abundance. We analyzed the abundance of autotrophic (cyanobacteria) and heterotopic airborne microbes in 34 sampling events between [...] Read more.

Airborne prokaryotes are transported along with dust/aerosols, yet very little attention is given to their temporal variability above the oceans and the factors that govern their abundance. We analyzed the abundance of autotrophic (cyanobacteria) and heterotopic airborne microbes in 34 sampling events between 2015–2018 at a coastal site in the SE Mediterranean Sea. We show that airborne autotrophic (0.2–7.6 cells × 10³ m⁻³) and heterotrophic (0.2–30.6 cells × 10³ m⁻³) abundances were affected by the origin and air mass trajectory, and the concentration of dust/aerosols in the air, while seasonality was not coherent. The averaged ratio between heterotrophic and autotrophic prokaryotes in marine-dominated trajectories was ~1.7 ± 0.6, significantly lower than for terrestrial routes (6.8 ± 6.1). Airborne prokaryotic abundances were linearly and positively correlated to the concentrations of total aerosol, while negatively correlated with the aerosol’s anthropogenic fraction (using Pb/Al or Cu/Al ratios as proxies). While aerosols may play a major role in dispersing terrestrial and marine airborne microbes in the SE Mediterranean Sea, the mechanisms involved in the dispersal and diversity of airborne microorganisms remain to be studied and should include standardization in collection and analysis protocols. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Detection and Monitoring of Bioaerosols)

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