Airborne Staphylococcus aureus in different environments—a review

Abstract

The aim of the literature review was to describe the environments where the presence of airborne Staphylococcus aureus was confirmed and to catalogue the most often used methods and conditions of bioaerosol sampling to identify the bacteria. The basis for searching of studies on S. aureus in the bioaerosol in different environments was PubMed database resources from the years 1990–2019 (May). The review included studies which were carried on in selected environments: hospitals and other health care facilities, large-scale animal breeding, wastewater treatment plants, residential areas, educational institutions, and other public places. The highest concentrations and genetic diversity of identified S. aureus strains, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus), have been shown in large-scale animal breeding. The role of the airborne transmission in dissemination of infection caused by these pathogens is empirically confirmed in environmental studies. Commonly available, well-described, and relatively inexpensive methods of sampling, identification, and subtyping guarantee a high reliability of results and allow to obtain fast and verifiable outcomes in environmental studies on air transmission routes of S. aureus strains.

Background Concentrations of Cultivable, Mesophilic Bacteria and Dust Particles in the Air in Urban, Rural and Mountain Regions

“…The occurrence of S. aureus in various environments has long been observed [ 42 ]. There is a high risk of contact with S. aureus , particularly in public places, not only in hospitals but also in the vicinity of sewage treatment plants or on farms with large numbers of animals [ 43 ].…”

Distribution of virulence genes and SCCmec types among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of clinical and environmental origin: a study from community of Assam, India

“…A recent study by Kozajdi et al 2019, were carried out in hospital and environmental settings such as large scale animal breeding, waste water treatment plants etc. [ 30 ]. Also Study by Boopathy et al 2017 and Friese et al 2013 carried out their work on the people exposed environmentally such as waste water treatment plants, animal farms etc.…”

Quantitative microbial risk assessment and sensitivity analysis for workers exposed to pathogenic bacterial bioaerosols under various aeration modes in two wastewater treatment plants

“…These symptoms could be caused by work-related exposure to various bacterial bioaerosols that were liberated in wastewater treatment processes ( Kowalski et al, 2017 ). Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bioaerosols, which had been frequently found in domestic wastewaters, are widely used as target indicator pathogens ( Ikehata, 2013 ; Szyłak-Szydłowski et al, 2016 ; Shi et al, 2018 ; Kozajda et al, 2019 ). These bacteria from wastewater or sludge can infect people through inhalation ( Szyłak-Szydłowski et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Direct exposure to these bioaerosols causes gastrointestinal infection through bioaerosol capture in the upper respiratory tract by inhalation, where pathogenic bacterial bioaerosols move by ciliary action and pass into the digestive tract through the pharynx ( Peccia et al, 2008 ). In general, the exposure of humans to WWTPs with pathogenic bacterial bioaerosols has significant health risks ( Kozajda et al, 2019 ). Therefore, assessing the health risks of exposure to pathogenic bacterial bioaerosols is important to protect workers in WWTPs.…”