Environmental sampling for respiratory pathogens in Jeddah airport during the 2013 Hajj season

Abstract

Respiratory pathogens were detected in the air and on surfaces in the KAAI Airport in Pilgrims City. Larger-scale studies based on our study are warranted to determine the role of the environment in transmission of respiratory pathogens during mass gathering events (eg, Hajj) such that public health preventative measures might be better targeted.

Isolation and identification of human coronavirus 229E from frequently touched environmental surfaces of a university classroom that is cleaned daily

“…360C; Copan Diagnostics, Murrieta, CA). 3 Virus isolation was attempted in monolayers of 6 ATCC (Manassas, VA) cell lines: A549 (CCL-185), MDCK (NBL-2) (CCL-34), HeLa (CCL-2), LLC-MK2 (CCL-7), VERO E6 (CRL-1586), and MRC-5 (CCL-171). 4 Replicate sets of cells were inoculated with 50 μL aliquots from the Universal Transport Medium tubes, with one set incubated at 33°C and the other at 37°C (some human respiratory viruses preferentially grow at 33°C, others at 37°C), and observed over 21 days for development of virus-specific cytopathic effects.…”

Indoor air pollution and exposure assessment of the gulf cooperation council countries: A critical review

“…Also, these airborne bioaerosols were identified in hospitals to be higher in intensive care units (687 CFU/m 3 ) compared to the operating theatre rooms (473 CFU/m 3 ) (Jaffal et al, 1997b). The high indoor bacterial exposure concentrations were attributed to overcrowding (Memish et al, 2014).…”

“…However, the degree of infection depends on the immunity of the exposed population (Alananbeh et al, 2017). Human adenovirus (42.8%), human coronavirus (42.8%), Haemophilus influenza (14.2%), and Moraxella catarrhalis (14.2%) were the dominant respiratory pathogens that identified in King Abdul Aziz International Airport during Hajj season (Memish et al, 2014). Another study on concentration and characterization of bioaerosols using Airport MD gelatin filter sampler was conducted in mosque buildings in Makkah, KSA.…”

“…Also, cross ventilation in buildings has been recommended recently as the most Friess et al (2012) effective way of reducing indoor air pollution compared to natural ventilation (Alwetaishi and Balabel, 2017). Wearing recommended respirators with improvement in sanitation practices, such as disinfections, is a potential remedy of reducing contaminations from airborne harmful microbes during Hajj (Memish et al, 2014). Further, in order to reduce human exposure levels to bioaerosols, frequent cleaning of air conditioning filters and efficient ventilations were recommended in school buildings (Al Mijalli, 2017).…”

“…El-Sharkawy (2014), KSA TSP, CO 2 , SO 2 , NO 2 Improving both mechanical and air conditioning systems in classrooms could better improve indoor air pollutants exposures. Memish et al (2014), KSA Airborne bacteria Wearing of certified respirators, hand hygiene, and frequent cleaning and disinfection could reduce bioaerosols contaminations in busy airports. Salama and Berekaa (2016), KSA Airborne bacteria Environmentally controlled slaughter houses with efficient ventilation systems could reduce the production and exposure of indoor bioaerosols.…”