Development of a high‐volume aerosol collection system for the identification of air‐borne micro‐organisms

• Published in: Letters in applied microbiology Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 162 - 167
• Main Authors: Radosevich, J.L., Wilson, W.J., Shinn, J.H., DeSantis, T.Z., Andersen, G.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-03-2002
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air Microbiology; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacteriological Techniques - instrumentation; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; High-Frequency Ventilation; Proteobacteria; USA, Utah, Salt Lake City
• ISSN: 0266-8254; 1472-765X; 1365-2673
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2002.01048.x

Aims: A high‐volume aerosol collector was developed to efficiently capture airborne bacteria in order to assess levels of diversity in the air.
Methods and Results: Particulate matter was collected on a device designed to filter 1·4 × 106 litres of air in a 24 h period on a 1‐lm pore size polyester membrane. Methods were optimized for extraction of genomic DNA from the air filter concentrate. Preparation times of 90 s with 0·5‐0·05 mm diameter zirconia/silica beads yielded the highest concentration genomic DNA that was able to support PCR. A 24‐h air sample was taken in Salt Lake City, Utah and the microbial composition was determined by the amplification and sequence analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA fragments.
Conclusions: Sequence analysis revealed a large diversity in the type of microbial species present including clones matching the sequence of Clostridium botulinum. The primary components of the aerosol sample included many different spore‐forming bacteria as well as more fragile members of the Proteobacteria division.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The high‐volume air collection and genomic DNA recovery system allows for the rapid detection of both cultivable as well as culture‐resistant organisms in the environment.