Microbiological Air Quality in Different Indoor and Outdoor Settings in Africa and Beyond: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

Clean air is a fundamental requirement for life. In the last two decades, there has now been a pronounced consciousness about the air quality of both the indoor and outdoor systems, as the microorganisms prevailing in an environment symbolizes the diverse human activities (Pasquarella et al. 2000; Barberán et al. 2015a), as well as their functions in different ecosystems (Adams et al. 2016). However, in densely populated areas, airborne microbial contaminants, especially the emerging pathogens and contaminants, can have numerous adverse effects on human health and well-being, including inflammation, toxic effects (allergic responses) and infections (Schmidt et al. 2012; Peter 2014; Wei et al. 2017). The term ‘bioaerosol’ refers to airborne biological particles (living and non-living), volatile organic compounds (VOC) formed from the dispersal and excretions of particles released from diverse ecosystems into the atmosphere (Peter 2014; Saramanda et al. 2016). Bioaerosols are generally ubiquitous in the environment and due to their small particle size (<2.5 μm) are easily dispersed in the air. Those aerosols created at the surface of aquatic systems are known to concentrate and carry microbes through the liquid-air interface (Brodie et al. 2007). The sizes of the bioaerosol particulate vary and are in the range of 0.3–100 mm in diameter (Stetzenbach et al. 2004). Bioaerosol includes viruses, fungi, bacteria, pollen and their by-products such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mycotoxins and endotoxins (Bernstein et al. 2004; Stetzenbach et al. 2004; Karwowska 2005; Kalwasińska et al. 2012; Saramanda et al. 2016).