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Published on: January 22, 2021
Impact of dust on airborne Staphylococcus aureus' viability, culturability, inflammogenicity, and biofilm forming
John Kerr White1, Jeppe Lund Nielsen2, Cecilie Møller Larsen3
1The National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
Abstract:
Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen associated with soft-tissue infections commonly encountered in indoor and farm environments as a component of airborne dust, which can potentially deposit in the respiratory tracts of workers and residents. However, knowledge regarding the survival and inflammatory potential of S. aureus in airborne dust has not been described. The objective of this study was to obtain knowledge on whether the presence of dust during aerosolisation affects the culturability (ability to grow on agar plates), their biofilm forming capacity, viability (using a viability qPCR), and inflammatory potential (using a human granulocyte based assay), and whether time from aerosolisation to subsequent analyses (the resting time) affects these. Aerosols containing S. aureus (DSM6148) in the presence of sterilised airborne dust from a pig farm were found to have higher culturability, viability, inflammatory potential, and ability to form biofilm compared with S. aureus aerosols generated without airborne dust. When aerosols of S. aureus were generated without dust, they showed a reduction in the culturability, as well as the biofilm forming capacity and an extended resting time was associated with a reduction in culturability, and biofilm forming capacity. In contrast, no differences in the viability were observed in samples with different resting times. The lack of a significant effect of different resting times on viability, and the significant effect on culturability, suggests that the stresses of aerosolisation may induce a viable, but not culturable (VBNC) state in S. aureus. A synergistic effect was found between S. aureus and dust concerning their ability to induce inflammation. In conclusion presence of airborne dust during aerosolisation of S. aureus affects the culturability, biofilm forming capacity, and inflammatory potential, but not the viability of S. aureus. This is of importance in relation to hygiene as well as how exposure to S. aureus is measured.
Insights
Airborne dust enhances Staphylococcus aureus survival and inflammatory potential. Dust presence boosts culturability, biofilm formation, and inflammation, but not viability, impacting hygiene and exposure assessments.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Pathogen survival
- Inflammatory response
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen found in indoor and farm dust.
- Airborne dust containing S. aureus can deposit in respiratory tracts.
- Limited data exists on S. aureus survival and inflammatory potential within airborne dust.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of airborne dust on S. aureus aerosol characteristics.
- To determine how dust influences S. aureus culturability, biofilm formation, viability, and inflammatory potential.
- To assess the impact of resting time post-aerosolization on these parameters.
Main Methods:
- Aerosolization of S. aureus (DSM6148) with and without sterile pig farm dust.
- Assessment of culturability (growth on agar).
- Measurement of biofilm formation capacity.
- Determination of viability using qPCR.
- Evaluation of inflammatory potential using human granulocytes.
Main Results:
- S. aureus aerosols generated with dust showed increased culturability, viability, inflammatory potential, and biofilm formation.
- Aerosols without dust exhibited reduced culturability and biofilm capacity.
- Extended resting time decreased culturability and biofilm formation but not viability.
- A synergistic inflammatory effect was observed between S. aureus and dust.
- Aerosolization stress may induce a viable, but not culturable (VBNC) state in S. aureus.
Conclusions:
- Airborne dust significantly impacts S. aureus culturability, biofilm formation, and inflammatory potential.
- Dust does not affect the viability of S. aureus post-aerosolization.
- Findings are crucial for understanding S. aureus exposure and informing hygiene practices.
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