Advances in Bioaerosols

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2024) | Viewed by 3204

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Interests: bioaerosol; biofiltration; gas waste; trickling filter

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: bioaerosol; microalgae; wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioaerosols originate from biological processes and are among the most widely used aerosols that have been investigated. They can play crucial roles in natural, environmental, agricultural, industrial, and human health processes and significantly contribute to public health effects by triggering allergies and infectious diseases. Bioaerosols may also be involved in global elemental cycles, atmospheric chemistry, and cloud and precipitation processes, potentially playing a significant role in the global climate. The study of bioaerosols is highly complex despite their long history and extensive impact; numerous important questions pertaining to bioaerosols remain unanswered. Key challenges in bioaerosol research include its multidisciplinary nature, encompassing not only aerosol science, microbiology, atmospheric science, physics, chemistry, and engineering but also requiring knowledge in building science, ventilation systems, and human dynamics analysis as well as expertise in public health, infectious diseases, agriculture, climate change, and countless other scientific disciplines.

The development of high-throughput sequence technologies, such as the single-molecule nanopore DNA sequencing from Oxford Nanopore Technologies and single-molecule real-time from Pacific Biosciences, has opened new avenues for understanding the microbial community. Therefore, we invite you to consider submitting your research focusing on relevant new technologies or insights for publication in this Special Issue of Microorganisms.

Dr. Yunping Han
Dr. Changliang Nie
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioaerosol
  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • pollen
  • algae
  • environment health
  • climate

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 3514 KiB  
Article
Bioaerosol Inactivation by a Cold Plasma Ionizer Coupled with an Electrostatic Precipitator
by Samuel Wei Yang Lim, Sian Yang Ow, Laura Sutarlie, Yeong Yuh Lee, Ady Suwardi, Chee Kiang Ivan Tan, Wun Chet Davy Cheong, Xian Jun Loh and Xiaodi Su
Microorganisms 2024, 12(9), 1923; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091923 - 21 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1073
Abstract
Despite best efforts in air purification, airborne infectious diseases will continue to spread due to the continuous emission of bioaerosols by the host/infected person. Hence, a shift in focus from air purification to bioaerosol inactivation is urgently needed. To explore the potential of [...] Read more.
Despite best efforts in air purification, airborne infectious diseases will continue to spread due to the continuous emission of bioaerosols by the host/infected person. Hence, a shift in focus from air purification to bioaerosol inactivation is urgently needed. To explore the potential of the cold plasma technology for preventing rapid spread of airborne infectious diseases, we studied a cold plasma ionizer (CPI) device and an electrostatic precipitator (ESP)-coupled CPI (CPI-ESP) device for the inactivation and cleaning of surface-spread microorganisms and bioaerosols, using porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and aerosolized E. coli as representatives. We firstly demonstrated that CPI coupled with ESP is an effective technology for inactivating virus and bacteria spread on surfaces in an in-house test chamber. We then demonstrated the efficacy of CPI-coupled ESP for the inactivation of aerosolized E. coli in the same chamber. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the efficiency of a CPI-ESP coupled device for the inactivation of naturally occurring airborne microbials in a few indoor settings (i.e., a living room, a discussion room, a schoolroom, and an office) to determine the treatment duration- and human activity-dependent efficacy. To understand the disinfection mechanism, we conducted a fluorescence microscopy study to reveal different degrees of E. coli bacteria cell membrane damage under CPI treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioaerosols)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1111 KiB  
Article
Bioaerosol Sampling Devices and Pretreatment for Bacterial Characterization: Theoretical Differences and a Field Experience in a Wastewater Treatment Plant
by Anastasia Serena Gaetano, Sabrina Semeraro, Samuele Greco, Enrico Greco, Andrea Cain, Maria Grazia Perrone, Alberto Pallavicini, Sabina Licen, Stefano Fornasaro and Pierluigi Barbieri
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050965 - 10 May 2024
Viewed by 1532
Abstract
Studies on bioaerosol bacterial biodiversity have relevance in both ecological and health contexts, and molecular methods, such as 16S rRNA gene-based barcoded sequencing, provide efficient tools for the analysis of airborne bacterial communities. Standardized methods for sampling and analysis of bioaerosol DNA are [...] Read more.
Studies on bioaerosol bacterial biodiversity have relevance in both ecological and health contexts, and molecular methods, such as 16S rRNA gene-based barcoded sequencing, provide efficient tools for the analysis of airborne bacterial communities. Standardized methods for sampling and analysis of bioaerosol DNA are lacking, thus hampering the comparison of results from studies implementing different devices and procedures. Three samplers that use gelatin filtration, swirling aerosol collection, and condensation growth tubes for collecting bioaerosol at an aeration tank of a wastewater treatment plant in Trieste (Italy) were used to determine the bacterial biodiversity. Wastewater samples were collected directly from the untreated sewage to obtain a true representation of the microbiological community present in the plant. Different samplers and collection media provide an indication of the different grades of biodiversity, with condensation growth tubes and DNA/RNA shieldTM capturing the richer bacterial genera. Overall, in terms of relative abundance, the air samples have a lower number of bacterial genera (64 OTUs) than the wastewater ones (75 OTUs). Using the metabarcoding approach to aerosol samples, we provide the first preliminary step toward the understanding of a significant diversity between different air sampling systems, enabling the scientific community to orient research towards the most informative sampling strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioaerosols)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop