Performance Evaluation and Validation of Air Samplers To Detect Aerosolized Coxiella burnetii

Abeykoon, A M Hasanthi; Poon, Megan; Firestone, Simon M.; Stevenson, Mark; Wiethoelter, Anke; Vincent, Gemma

doi:10.1128/spectrum.00655-22

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Novel, simple, and rapid testing is urgently needed to assess viable bacteria load and the duration of persistence in ruminant housing/birthing areas and other environments. Classical isolation techniques based on animal models are laborious to apply on a large scale and are not recommended for ethical and technical reasons [45,52,[59][60][61]. Further long-term investigations are also needed to evaluate any association with the risk of infection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking the Source of Human Q Fever from a Southern French Village: Sentinel Animals and Environmental Reservoir

Laidoudi

Rousset

Dessimoulie³

et al. 2023

Microorganisms

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Coxiella burnetii, also known as the causal agent of Q fever, is a zoonotic pathogen infecting humans and several animal species. Here, we investigated the epidemiological context of C. burnetii from an area in the Hérault department in southern France, using the One Health paradigm. In total, 13 human cases of Q fever were diagnosed over the last three years in an area comprising four villages. Serological and molecular investigations conducted on the representative animal population, as well as wind data, indicated that some of the recent cases are likely to have originated from a sheepfold, which revealed bacterial contamination and a seroprevalence of 47.6%. However, the clear-cut origin of human cases cannot be ruled out in the absence of molecular data from the patients. Multi-spacer typing based on dual barcoding nanopore sequencing highlighted the occurrence of a new genotype of C. burnetii. In addition, the environmental contamination appeared to be widespread across a perimeter of 6 km due to local wind activity, according to the seroprevalence detected in dogs (12.6%) and horses (8.49%) in the surrounding populations. These findings were helpful in describing the extent of the exposed area and thus supporting the use of dogs and horses as valuable sentinel indicators for monitoring Q fever. The present data clearly highlighted that the epidemiological surveillance of Q fever should be reinforced and improved.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking the Source of Human Q Fever from a Southern French Village: Sentinel Animals and Environmental Reservoir

Laidoudi

Rousset

Dessimoulie³

et al. 2023

Microorganisms

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“…A concern with air sample filtration is that the filter materials (e.g., glass fibers, polycarbonate, cellulose ester, and polytetrafluoroethylene) can dry out the bioaerosol trapped in the filter, which can then decrease during sample recovery and affect the viability of target microorganisms. In this regard, nuclease-free gelatin membrane filters, which have a high collection efficiency for airborne particles between 0.5 and 3.0 µm in size 47 , can preserve bioaerosol viability and have been developed to collect aerosol bacteria, fungi, and viruses for quantitative PCR analysis 40 , 48 – 51 , although there are limited reports to date of their use for NGS 15 . Polyethersulfone membrane filters are another possible choice, especially for proceeding with DNA-based analysis because both gelatin and polyethersulfone filters can be directly dissolved in DNA extraction buffer and minimize sample loss during the elution step compared with fibrous filters 17 , 52 – 54 .…”

Section: Sampling Methods Of Low-biomass Bioaerosolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on Sampling and New Generation Sequencing Methods for Low-Biomass Bioaerosols in Atmospheric Environments

et al. 2023

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Bioaerosols play essential roles in the atmospheric environment and can affect human health. With a few exceptions (e.g., farm or rainforest environments), bioaerosol samples from wide-ranging environments typically have a low biomass, including bioaerosols from indoor environments (e.g., residential homes, offices, or hospitals), outdoor environments (e.g., urban or rural air). Some specialized environments (e.g., clean rooms, the Earth’s upper atmosphere, or the international space station) have an ultra-low-biomass. This review discusses the primary sources of bioaerosols and influencing factors, the recent advances in air sampling techniques and the new generation sequencing (NGS) methods used for the characterization of low-biomass bioaerosol communities, and challenges in terms of the bias introduced by different air samplers when samples are subjected to NGS analysis with a focus on ultra-low biomass. High-volume filter-based or liquid-based air samplers compatible with NGS analysis are required to improve the bioaerosol detection limits for microorganisms. A thorough understanding of the performance and outcomes of bioaerosol sampling using NGS methods and a robust protocol for aerosol sample treatment for NGS analysis are needed. Advances in NGS techniques and bioinformatic tools will contribute toward the precise high-throughput identification of the taxonomic profiles of bioaerosol communities and the determination of their functional and ecological attributes in the atmospheric environment. In particular, long-read amplicon sequencing, viability PCR, and meta-transcriptomics are promising techniques for discriminating and detecting pathogenic microorganisms that may be active and infectious in bioaerosols and, therefore, pose a threat to human health. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41745-023-00380-x.

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“…Therefore, these methods are not sufficiently sensitive to inform actions that could make a difference. Insufficient sensitivity also plagues the Thermo Scientific's AeroSense Sampler and Bertin Technologies' Coriolis µ, with their separate PCR processes, which can detect common respiratory pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Flu A/B and/or RSV, and microbes on-site [18,21,22]. In summary, the ultra-low concentrations of virus in the air (as low as 1.84 gc/L in some cases [23,24]) when compared to those in nasal swabs of sick patients (10 4 − 10 7 gc/mL [25]) pose a unique challenge to the airborne virus detection problem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of a fieldable process for airborne virus detection

Du,

Bruno,

Overholt

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Rapid, on-site, airborne virus detection is a requirement for timely action against the spread of air-transmissible infectious diseases. This applies both to future threats and to common viral diseases, such as influenza and COVID-19, which hit vulnerable populations yearly with severe consequences. The ultra-low concentrations of virus in the air make airborne virus detection difficult, yet readily infect individuals when breathed. Here, we propose a fieldable process that includes an enrichment step to concentrate collected genetic material in a small volume. The enrichment approach uses capillary electrophoresis and an RT-qPCR-compatible buffer, which allow enrichment of the RNA by about 5-fold within only 10 minutes of operation. Our detection process consists of air sampling through electrostatic precipitation, RNA extraction via heating, RNA enrichment, and RT-qPCR for detection. We optimized each step of the process and estimated a detection sensitivity of 3106±2457 genome copies (gc) per m3of air. We then performed an integration experiment and confirmed a sensitivity of 5654 gc/m3with a detection rate of 100% and a sensitivity of 4221 gc/m3with a detection rate of 78.6%. When using fast RT-qPCR, the latency of the whole process is down to 61 minutes. Given that our sensitivity falls in the low range of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 concentrations reported in indoor spaces, our study shows that, with enrichment, airborne pathogen detection can be made sufficiently sensitive for practical use.

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Performance Evaluation and Validation of Air Samplers To Detect Aerosolized Coxiella burnetii

Abstract: Coxiella burnetii causes Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in animals. It is important to know if C. burnetii is present in the air around putative sources as it is transmitted via inhalation.

Cited by 4 publications

References 54 publications

Tracking the Source of Human Q Fever from a Southern French Village: Sentinel Animals and Environmental Reservoir

Tracking the Source of Human Q Fever from a Southern French Village: Sentinel Animals and Environmental Reservoir

Perspectives on Sampling and New Generation Sequencing Methods for Low-Biomass Bioaerosols in Atmospheric Environments

Characterization of a fieldable process for airborne virus detection

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