Bioaerosol Analysis by Single Particle Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The performance and improvements of an aerosol mass spectrometer for the real time analysis of bioaerosol particles is described. The instrument can preselect the biological aerosol particles from non-biological particles, by recording the emitted fluorescence when the particles are irradiated with 266 nm laser light. The fluorescing particles are further investigated by mass spectrometry. With the current performance of the mass spectrometer the produced mass spectra have high resolution and cover a mass range up to 85 kDalton. The capability of the aerosol mass spectrometer to produce good quality spectra of bacteria particles is shown with a mass spectrum of Erwinia herbicola. For the application of the aerosol mass spectrometer the possible interference of (background) soot particles onto the preselection is investigated and a minor interference is determined.

Microbiology and atmospheric processes: chemical interactions of primary biological aerosols

“…(Maron et al, 2005). New challenging techniques such as aerosol mass spectroscopy (Noble et al, 2000;van Wuijckhuijse et al, 2005;Kleefsman et al, 2007) or aerodynamic sizing and fluorescence spectroscopy (Ho, 2002) allow online monitoring of PBA but still improvements in capturing detailed chemical characteristics at sufficient detection limits are needed. An important point is the effort of the community to compare the different measurements techniques to obtain a comprehensive database.…”

Exploring the feasibility of bioaerosol analysis as a novel fingerprinting technique

“…The use of MS has already been reported for the analysis of aerosolized material of biological origin [99–103], including the Bioaerosol Mass Spectrometer (BMAS) developed for the detection of microorganisms [104, 105]. Ariya and coworkers recently reviewed the compounds used to identify the specific bioaerosol sources that were separated and detected by GC/MS strategies [1].…”

Potential of laser mass spectrometry for the analysis of environmental dust particles—A review

“…Nevertheless, the preparation of the sample (mixture of analyte with the MALDI matrix) is a critical point. Single particle MALDI has been first developed [159][160][161][162]. In these experiments, particles were generated from monodisperse aerosol droplets containing matrix, analyte and solvent.…”

“…In these experiments, particles were generated from monodisperse aerosol droplets containing matrix, analyte and solvent. The selection of biological aerosol particles may be conducted by using the fluorescence behavior of biological molecules after 266 nm illumination [162]. Very high level of sensitivity may be attained, 14zmol (8400 molecules) of gramicidin S were detected in a single particle [161].…”