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Collection of airborne bacteria and yeast through water-based condensational growth

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Abstract

One limitation in air sampling of airborne microorganisms is their inactivation by forceful impaction and/or dehydration during the collection process. Proper inhalation risk assessments require proof of viability, as non-viable microorganisms cannot cause infectious diseases. In this study, laboratory-generated aerosols of a vegetative bacterium (E. coli) or yeast (S. kudriavzevii) were collected by a laminar-flow water-based condensational “growth tube collector (GTC),” and the GTC’s collection efficiencies were compared with those using an industry standard BioSampler. Collection efficiencies resulting from two types of collection media, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and nutrient media (Nutrient Broth, NB, for E. coli, and Yeast Tryptone Glucose Broth, YTGB, for S. kudriavzevii) were also assessed. Both the GTC and the BioSampler performed equally when PBS was used as the collection medium for E. coli, whereas more viable E. coli cells were collected in the GTC than the BioSampler with NB. For S. kudriavzevii, the GTC outperformed the BioSampler using either PBS or YTGB. This is likely because aerosolized E. coli cells can better survive impaction than S. kudriavzevii under the conditions used, and the BioSampler has a much higher collection efficiency for particles in the size range of single-celled E. coli than S. kudriavzevii. Moreover, the GTC had a detection limit one order of magnitude lower for yeast aerosols compared with that of the BioSampler. These results indicate that the GTC is a promising device for sampling viable aerosolized gram-negative bacteria and yeast, as it is less damaging to these types of microorganisms during the collection process.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant number: IDBR-1353423, and by internal funds from Aerosol Dynamics Inc. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, P.O. Box 116450, Gainesville, FL, 32611-6450, USA

    Maohua Pan, Leah Carol & Chang-Yu Wu

  2. Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    John A. Lednicky

  3. Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    John A. Lednicky

  4. Aerosol Dynamics Inc, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Arantzazu Eiguren-Fernandez & Susanne Hering

  5. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Z. Hugh Fan

  6. J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Z. Hugh Fan

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  1. Maohua Pan
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Correspondence to Chang-Yu Wu.

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Conflict of interest

The underlying water-based condensation growth technology is patented by the employer of two of the authors (S. Hering and A Eiguren-Fernandez), and has been licensed for commercial use in the field of airborne particle collection.

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Pan, M., Carol, L., Lednicky, J.A. et al. Collection of airborne bacteria and yeast through water-based condensational growth. Aerobiologia 34, 337–348 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-018-9517-7

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