Microorganisms associated particulate matter: A preliminary study

Alghamdi, Mansour A.; Shamy, Magdy; Redal, María Ana; Khoder, Mamdouh I.; Awad, Abdel Hameed A.; Elserougy, Safaa

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.006

Cited by 125 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…A previous study developed in Portugal already reported the influence of the outdoors in the contamination of indoor environments by nanoparticles [63]; particles are resuspended due to the movement of workers and patients [64,65,66]; and particles accumulate indoors because of the low ventilation rates, since there are no mechanical ventilation systems to guarantee dilution and dispersion [59,60,61,62,63]. Corroborating with our results, other authors reported no significant correlations between fungal and bacterial air load and PM concentrations, stating low concentrations of microorganisms associated with PM [67]. The attributed explanation was related to the influence of anthropogenic activities and atmospheric changes, and to the association of a large portion of bacteria with dust particles.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Microbiota and Particulate Matter Assessment in Portuguese Optical Shops Providing Contact Lens Services

et al. 2017

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The aim of this work was to assess the microbiota (fungi and bacteria) and particulate matter in optical shops, contributing to a specific protocol to ensure a proper assessment. Air samples were collected through an impaction method. Surface and equipment swab samples were also collected side-by-side. Measurements of particulate matter were performed using portable direct-reading equipment. A walkthrough survey and checklist was also applied in each shop. Regarding air sampling, eight of the 13 shops analysed were above the legal requirement and 10 from the 26 surfaces samples were overloaded. In three out of the 13 shops fungal contamination in the analysed equipment was not detected. The bacteria air load was above the threshold in one of the 13 analysed shops. However, bacterial counts were detected in all sampled equipment. Fungi and bacteria air load suggested to be influencing all of the other surface and equipment samples. These results reinforce the need to improve air quality, not only to comply with the legal requirements, but also to ensure proper hygienic conditions. Public health intervention is needed to assure the quality and safety of the rooms and equipment in optical shops that perform health interventions in patients.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Microbiota and Particulate Matter Assessment in Portuguese Optical Shops Providing Contact Lens Services

et al. 2017

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“…The aerodynamic size of the fungal spore inherently influences the health risk associated with the spore (Cho et al, 2005). In contrast to the wide distribution of bacterial aerosols within coarse size fractions, culturable fungi were found to have a distinct peak (aerodynamic sizes 3.3–4.7 µm), a pattern that has been reported in other studies (Alghamdi et al, 2014; Li et al, 2011). A recent study in nearby New Haven, Connecticut found fungal size distribution to have little variability by season, with a peak size of approximately 2–5 µm, identified primarily as Basidiomycota, while larger size fractions were determined to be primarily Ascomycota (Yamamoto et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Culturable bioaerosols along an urban waterfront are primarily associated with coarse particles

Montero

Dueker

O’Mullan

2016

PeerJ

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The source, characteristics and transport of viable microbial aerosols in urban centers are topics of significant environmental and public health concern. Recent studies have identified adjacent waterways, and especially polluted waterways, as an important source of microbial aerosols to urban air. The size of these aerosols influences how far they travel, their resistance to environmental stress, and their inhalation potential. In this study, we utilize a cascade impactor and aerosol particle monitor to characterize the size distribution of particles and culturable bacterial and fungal aerosols along the waterfront of a New York City embayment. We seek to address the potential contribution of bacterial aerosols from local sources and to determine how their number, size distribution, and taxonomic identity are affected by wind speed and wind direction (onshore vs. offshore). Total culturable microbial counts were higher under offshore winds (average of 778 CFU/m3 ± 67), with bacteria comprising the majority of colonies (58.5%), as compared to onshore winds (580 CFU/m3 ± 110) where fungi were dominant (87.7%). The majority of cultured bacteria and fungi sampled during both offshore winds (88%) and onshore winds (72%) were associated with coarse aerosols (>2.1 µm), indicative of production from local sources. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.05) of wind speed with both total and coarse culturable microbial aerosol concentrations. Taxonomic analysis, based on DNA sequencing, showed that Actinobacteria was the dominant phylum among aerosol isolates. In particular, Streptomyces and Bacillus, both spore forming genera that are often soil-associated, were abundant under both offshore and onshore wind conditions. Comparisons of bacterial communities present in the bioaerosol sequence libraries revealed that particle size played an important role in microbial aerosol taxonomy. Onshore and offshore coarse libraries were found to be most similar. This study demonstrates that the majority of culturable bacterial aerosols along a New York City waterfront were associated with coarse aerosol particles, highlighting the importance of local sources, and that the taxonomy of culturable aerosol bacteria differed by size fraction and wind direction.

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“…Our study showed that significantly high concentration of PM 10 was related with visible mold on the walls. As PM includes particles from fungi,30,31 our result suggests that removal of visible mold might be helpful to lower indoor PM 10 concentration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Relationship Between Indoor Air Pollutant Levels and Residential Environment in Children With Atopic Dermatitis

Lee

Park

et al. 2014

Allergy Asthma Immunol Res

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PurposeThis study was aimed to investigate the relationship between indoor air pollutant levels and residential environment in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) living in Seoul.MethodsA total of 150 children with AD were included. Residential environment was assessed by questionnaires which were completed by their parents. To evaluate the level of exposure to the indoor air pollutants, concentrations of the indoor air pollutants including particulate matter with diameter less than 10 µm (PM10), formaldehyde, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC), benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, xylene, styrene, bacterial aerosols, and airborne fungi were measured.ResultsA significant difference was exhibited in the levels of PM10 in case of visible fungus on the walls (P=0.047). There was relationship between the construction year of the house, moving to a newly constructed building within 1 year and formaldehyde level. With the use of artificial air freshener, the differences were found in the concentrations of TVOC (P=0.003), benzene (P=0.015), toluene (P=0.012) and ethyl-benzene (P=0.027). The concentration of xylene was significantly high when oil was used as heating fuel (P=0.015). Styrene exhibited differences depending on building type and its concentrations were significantly high in a residential and commercial complex building (P=0.005). The indoor concentration of bacterial aerosols was significantly low with the use of air cleaner (P=0.045). High NO2, benzene concentrations were present in case of almost no ventilation (P=0.028 and P=0.028, respectively).ConclusionsIndividual residential environments are closely related with the levels of the indoor air pollutants. To alleviate AD symptoms, simple questions about residential environments such as visible fungus on the walls and the use of artificial air freshener are helpful to assess the possibility of increased indoor air pollutant levels when direct measurement is not available.

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Microorganisms associated particulate matter: A preliminary study

Cited by 125 publications

References 46 publications

Microbiota and Particulate Matter Assessment in Portuguese Optical Shops Providing Contact Lens Services

Microbiota and Particulate Matter Assessment in Portuguese Optical Shops Providing Contact Lens Services

Culturable bioaerosols along an urban waterfront are primarily associated with coarse particles

Relationship Between Indoor Air Pollutant Levels and Residential Environment in Children With Atopic Dermatitis

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