Airborne Infectious Microorganisms ☆

González-Martín, Cristina

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809633-8.13002-x

Cited by 18 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The transmission of coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), that lead to respiratory diseases is predominantly via respiratory droplets from infected individuals or by coming in contact with contaminated surfaces. 1 , 2 Droplets are released into the air at a short distance of <1 m after an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks, and the virus infects the susceptible host after it is transferred to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. 1 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of expelled droplets through traditional Islamic face coverings

et al. 2022

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BACKGROUND: Expelled droplet count is an important factor when investigating the efficacy of face coverings since higher droplet counts indicate an increased possibility of disease transmission for airborne viruses such as COVID-19. While there is some published work relating facemask style to expelled droplet count during speech, there is no published data regarding the effectiveness of traditional Islamic face coverings such as the ghutra and niqab commonly worn by men and women in the Arabian Peninsula. OBJECTIVES: Measure the effectiveness of worn traditional Islamic face coverings in reducing expelled droplet count during speech. DESIGN: Experimental study SETTING: Biomedical engineering department at a university in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a previously described low-cost method for quantifying expelled droplets, this study compares droplet counts through commonly worn traditional Islamic face coverings and conventional three-ply surgical masks worn during speech. The device records scattered light from droplets (>5 μm diameter) as they pass through a laser light sheet (520 nm), and then video processing yields droplet counts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percent reduction in the number of expelled droplets passing through face coverings during speech compared to no face covering MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 9-15 recorded samples per face covering (n=3) plus no face covering control (n=1) in three females. RESULTS: The average percent reduction for each mask type compared to no mask trial was 76% for the cotton ghutra, 93% for the niqab, and 95% for the surgical mask. The niqab and ghutra had relatively high variability in droplet reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional Islamic face coverings block some expelled droplets, but at lower rates than surgical masks. High standard deviations within facemask groups with high variability in fit (i.e., the cotton ghutra) further denote the importance of fit in face covering effectiveness. Some protection from airborne viruses is likely with traditional Islamic face coverings compared to no mask, but the amount of protection depends on the fit of the face covering. LIMITATIONS: Detectable droplets limited to particles greater than 5 μm diameter with forward expulsion direction. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 1 , 2 Droplets are released into the air at a short distance of <1 m after an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or speaks, and the virus infects the susceptible host after it is transferred to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. 1 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of expelled droplets through traditional Islamic face coverings

et al. 2022

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“…Once deposited, interactions between the microbial entities may be activated in the new environment, thus contributing to biogeochemical cycles [ 6 ]. Moreover, the deposited microbiome can promote the dissemination of human, animal, and plant diseases and pandemics [ 7 ]. Tuberculosis and Spanish flu are typical examples of pandemics caused by bacterial or viral species transmitted through aerosols [ 8 ], as well as the current COVID-19 pandemic—speaking of which, Bourdrel et al [ 9 ] have recently provided a review on the impact of outdoor air pollution on COVID-19 studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Variability of the Airborne Eukaryotic Community Structure at a Coastal Site of the Central Mediterranean

Fragola

Perrone

Alifano

et al. 2021

Toxins

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The atmosphere represents an underexplored temporary habitat for airborne microbial communities such as eukaryotes, whose taxonomic structure changes across different locations and/or regions as a function of both survival conditions and sources. A preliminary dataset on the seasonal dependence of the airborne eukaryotic community biodiversity, detected in PM10 samples collected from July 2018 to June 2019 at a coastal site representative of the Central Mediterranean, is provided in this study. Viridiplantae and Fungi were the most abundant eukaryotic kingdoms. Streptophyta was the prevailing Viridiplantae phylum, whilst Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the prevailing Fungi phyla. Brassica and Panicum were the most abundant Streptophyta genera in winter and summer, respectively, whereas Olea was the most abundant genus in spring and autumn. With regards to Fungi, Botrytis and Colletotrichum were the most abundant Ascomycota genera, reaching the highest abundance in spring and summer, respectively, while Cryptococcus and Ustilago were the most abundant Basidiomycota genera, and reached the highest abundance in winter and spring, respectively. The genus community structure in the PM10 samples varied day-by-day, and mainly along with the seasons. The impact of long-range transported air masses on the same structure was also proven. Nevertheless, rather few genera were significantly correlated with meteorological parameters and PM10 mass concentrations. The PCoA plots and non-parametric Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficients showed that the strongest correlations generally occurred between parameters reaching high abundances/values in the same season or PM10 sample. Moreover, the screening of potential pathogenic fungi allowed us to detect seven potential pathogenic genera in our PM10 samples. We also found that, with the exception of Panicum and Physcomitrella, all of the most abundant and pervasive identified Streptophyta genera could serve as potential sources of aeroallergens in the studied area.

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“…Due to their undesirable impacts on human health, there have been continuous efforts made to identify allergenic species in the atmosphere [3][4][5][6][7]. Many pathogenic species are transmitted via airborne vectors causing endemic and pandemic diseases [8]. Many prominent pandemic diseases, for example Spanish flu and tuberculosis, have been caused by bacterial or viral species transmitted through aerosols [9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Bacterial and Eukaryotic Community Structure across the United Kingdom Revealed by High-Throughput Sequencing

et al. 2020

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Primary biological aerosols often include allergenic and pathogenic microorganisms posing potential risks to human health. Moreover, there are airborne plant and animal pathogens that may have ecological and economic impact. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing techniques (Illumina, MiSeq) targeting the 16S rRNA genes of bacteria and the 18S rRNA genes of eukaryotes, to characterize airborne primary biological aerosols. We used a filtration system on the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) research aircraft to sample a range of primary biological aerosols across southern England overflying surface measurement sites from Chilbolton to Weybourne. We identified 30 to 60 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 108 to 224 eukaryotic OTUs per sample. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified significant numbers of genera that have not been found in atmospheric samples previously or only been described in limited number of atmospheric field studies, which are rather old or published in local journals. This includes the genera Gordonia, Lautropia, and Psychroglaciecola. Some of the bacterial genera found in this study include potential human pathogens, for example, Gordonia, Sphingomonas, Chryseobacterium, Morganella, Fusobacterium, and Streptococcus. 18S rRNA gene sequencing showed Cladosporium to be the major genus in all of the samples, which is a well-known allergen and often found in the atmosphere. There were also genetic signatures of potentially allergenic taxa; for example, Pleosporales, Phoma, and Brassicales. Although there was no significant clustering of bacterial and eukaryotic communities depending on the sampling location, we found meteorological factors explaining significant variations in the community composition. The findings in this study support the application of DNA-based sequencing technologies for atmospheric science studies in combination with complementary spectroscopic and microscopic techniques for improved identification of primary biological aerosols.

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Airborne Infectious Microorganisms ☆

Cited by 18 publications

References 57 publications

Evaluation of expelled droplets through traditional Islamic face coverings

Evaluation of expelled droplets through traditional Islamic face coverings

Seasonal Variability of the Airborne Eukaryotic Community Structure at a Coastal Site of the Central Mediterranean

Airborne Bacterial and Eukaryotic Community Structure across the United Kingdom Revealed by High-Throughput Sequencing

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